Skate To The Moon
by Scarlet MacDuff
Summary: Ice skating was my life, my world. The thing I did with all my heart and soul. Up until now, ice skating had been all I knew. Little did I know this was all about to change with one look from a handsome stranger. PaulxOC
1. Intro

_Hey guys!!_

_I've been on Fanfiction for a while now reading stories but this is my first time actually publishing a story. I've read a lot of Paul stories on here but when I was unsatisfied (aka I had specific criteria which was a way to tell myself I needed to write a story haha) I decided to sit down and start this. This is just a little intro, a little sneak peak. Hope you enjoy it!_

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**Skate To The Moon**

I felt the ice beneath my feet. I felt it glide underneath me as I slowly moved my foot. All traction gone, I pulled my arms in tightly, preparing myself for the jump I was about to perform.

Swinging my leg around, I closed my eyes quickly before leaping in the air, feeling my whole body become weightless. Twisting my body twice, I gracefully came into my landing, feeling all my weight land on my left foot, my right foot straight out behind me.

This was my life, my world. Ice skating, the thing I did with all my heart and soul. Up until now, ice skating had been all I knew. Little did I know this was all about to change.

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NATASHA:

"Higher Chris! Lift her higher!" our trainer, Andre, yelled from the side of the rink. Chris raised his arm up higher, grumbling something that sounded a lot like "I'd like to see you lift her old man." I tried to hold in my chuckle as I focused on keeping my weight level in Chris' hand. He currently had me above his head and one false move from me could send us both falling. "Higher!" Andre shouted again and I felt Chris' arm begin to shake.

"No Chris no!" I shouted as I felt his arm bend. As if in slow motion, I felt myself begin to fall. We both went down hard, sliding across the ice.

"Damn it!" Chris shouted after we came to a stop. Scrambling to his feet, he offered me his hand and pulled me up. Then we both skated over to where Andre was frowning.

"I can tell we need to build your upper body strength more than I thought Chris. I want you in the gym doing weights for an hour after we finish here," Andre said and Chris scowled, nodding.

At 17 years old, Chris and I are two of the top couples figure skaters in the US. We've traveled to competitions around the world, working together to win medal after medal, title after title. This has been my life since I can remember.

When I was 15, my coach told my parents he could no longer teach me any more than I already knew. He recommended I switch to a more advanced coach, giving me the name and number of Andre Rondasinni, one of the top skating coaches in the world. Singles, couples, he did them all.

"She cannot do singles anymore," my coach had told my parents. "She is getting too old, her body type is changing. Try her in couples. More tricks, she'll enjoy it."

After calling Andre, my parents picked up our life and moved us across country, 2500 miles. At the time, my little brother Tyler was eleven and my sister Natalie was five. Mom was a nurse at the local hospital and dad was a science teacher at the local high school, coaching the school's hockey team on the side. That's how my parents met. Mom used to figure skate, Dad used to play hockey. I personally thought their story was extremely romantic.

Upon our move to Quillayute, Washington, I met with Andre who did an assessment before pairing me with Chris. For the past two years we have been working and training together. Our next big competition would be Nationals at the beginning of the year.

"I want you both to do three perfect triple sow cows on your own; then Natasha you're free to go. Chris, I want to see you in the weight room in no less than twenty minutes," Andre said before turning and walking back to his office. I turned to Chris and put my hands on my hips.

"I bet my sow cows go higher than yours," I said with a grin. He returned my smile before we both took off on the ice.

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_Ta-Da!!!! Next chapter will be about Paul! The way I've split this up is that one chapter will be in Natasha's P.O.V., then one chapter will be in 3rd person about Paul. It'll switch back and forth between two and the chapters will overlap slightly so you can get both of their reactions to different parts. Hope you enjoy it!!! Remember to review!!_


	2. Chapter 1

_Hey Guys!_

_Hope you all enjoyed the intro! Without further ado, here's chapter 1!! It's all about Paul so I hope you guys enjoy it! Remember to review. I had almost 100 hits for the intro and about 8 people either favorited this story or put it on their alerts. Review!!!! Then I can know how I'm doing!!! Tell me what you like or don't like. It only takes like, 20 seconds to hit the review_ _button and type something out and I'll enjoy reading it oh so much!_

_Okay, on to the chapter:_

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**Chapter 1**

Paul couldn't believe it, on patrol again. This made two nights in a row. Two nights when he could be doing something else, sleeping perhaps. Two nights when he could have been with two different girls, two girls who would now be sitting home alone, lying in bed shivering without a nice warm wolf to cuddle with.

_Can you please stop thinking about stuff like that? I don't really like having thoughts of naked girls running through my mind_, Leah's comment echoed through Paul's mind. He barked even though he knew she was too far to hear him.

_You know Paul, I don't really care much for it either_, Jared voiced his opinion. Paul sighed.

_Just because you've found your imprint doesn't mean you can't even think about girls anymore_, he stated.

_Eh, I just don't see them anymore. It's all Kim._ Leah groaned at Jared's comment.

_Enough with the mushiness. I'm about to hurl._

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After patrol was done, Paul barely made it to his bed before collapsing. He had been awake for a straight 48 hours and he was exhausted. He planned on sleeping through the whole day, not waking up until the next morning.

However, fate had other plans.

It was the shrill ring of his cell phone that finally woke him up ten hours later. Groaning, he rolled over and grabbed the phone off the table. He had missed the call, as well as ten others, but upon realized they were all from Quil he quickly dialed him back, hoping he hadn't missed a bloodsucker sighting.

"Hey," Quil said in a slightly panicked voice when he answered. Paul told himself to be calm. If the sighting had been really bad, they would have come for him when he didn't answer.

"What is it?" he asked and Quil paused before responding.

"So I have a favor to ask of you. Claire's mom is stuck at work and she thought I was going to get Claire but I have to go on patrol within the next hour. Could you possibly take Claire to her ice skating lesson and then bring her home? I know it's a lot to ask but Jake's over with the Cullens and Sam, Embry, Seth, and I are running duty tonight." Paul sighed and tried to control his temper.

"What about Leah? She's a girl. Or Emily. This is a woman thing," Quil was quick to respond.

"Emily's in Port Angeles for the day and after the last incident with Leah and Claire I really don't want to leave them together." Paul remembered what Quil was talking about. A couple weeks ago Claire had gotten finger paint all over Leah's kitchen. Leah had phased on the spot and it had taken Sam, Jared, and Quil to keep her from snapping at Claire. Paul sighed again.

"Fine. I'll take her. Is she at your place right now?" he couldn't believe he was giving in to play the babysitter.

"Yeah she's here but I can drive her to your place. I know you probably just woke up so this'll give you more time to wake up," Paul was grateful that at least Quil was thinking of his brother a little.

"Sure that sounds good. Be here in 10?" Quil made a noise of agreement before the line went dead.

"This sucks," Paul said before tossing his phone on the bed and going into his closet to find some decent clothes.

An hour later found him sitting in the bleachers at the skate rink in Quillayute watching a dozen little girls skate on the ice, at least three of them constantly fallen on the ground. Over in the corner a boy and girl were trying advanced moves, the boy continuously tossing the girl into the air while an old man yelled at them. Around him, the moms of the little girls sat, discussing their daughters and applauding the tiniest things. Paul rolled his eyes and scrolled through his phone, sending a couple texts to a few girls in his phone. He had to get some sort of pleasure out of this. At least he was warm enough that he wasn't freezing his ass off. That would really make him pissed.

"I've never seen you around here before," a sultry voice purred in Paul's ear. He turned to his left and looked at the woman leaning toward him. She had to be at least thirty, if not thirty-five. Her reddish-brown hair was curled around her face and her long, black eyelashes batted at him. He smirked and shrugged.

"Doing a favor for my friend. I'm the babysitter," he said with a nod in the skating class' direction. The woman smiled upon realizing he wasn't planning on shrugging her off and scooted down to sit next to him.

"Cheryl," she said, sticking her gloved hand toward him.

"Paul," he said smoothly as he shook her hand. "So which one is yours?" he asked as they turned back to the class.

"The one with the blonde pigtails and the pink skirt and white tights," she said, pointing in the direction of one of the girls who was currently sitting on the ground in a huff. "Which one are you babysitting?" He nodded to Claire.

"The littlest one," he said. Suddenly the older couple skated in front of them and the woman huffed.

"You'd think they would have the decency to not show off when our girls are skating," she said in an annoyed tone. "The class is only an hour long. Surely they could take a break until it was over." Paul scowled at her sudden, angry behavior and backed off a little. Overly-proud mothers didn't really do it for him. As suddenly as her anger came, it went away and she turned to him with a smile. "So tell me, how old are you Paul?" she asked with another bat of her eyelashes.

As Paul was about to answer, movement caught his eye and he turned back to the ice. The couple was skating back toward the bleachers and he got a good look at the girl's smiling face.

Suddenly Paul felt the world shift. Time and space collided and he felt as if his head was spinning. His whole life, everything he lived for was changing, becoming more and more distant. With a shudder, everything fell into place, now centered around the girl who was skating on one leg toward the wall. Paul gasped.

"What?" Cheryl asked. "Did I say something wrong? You're not really young are you?" Paul ignored her questions, all his focus on the girl in front of him.

She was the most beautiful girl in the world. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, a soft white headband framing her face. She was wearing a purple leotard and skirt which was tight enough to show all her small curves, curves that Paul thought were perfect. He watched as she elegantly skated past him, letting the boy she was skating with take both her hands and lift her in the air. He held his anger in as this other man touched her, touched his...imprint.

"What is wrong with you?" Cheryl asked in a frustrated tone. When Paul continued to ignore her, she huffed again before scooting back to her original seat. Paul didn't even notice her exit. He was too busy watching the girl skate.

As the couple went past them again, the boy lifted the girl in the air, holding her up high.

"And toss!" came the voice of the older man from before. The boy tensed, and then tossed the girl in the air. She spun twice before coming down to land on her left foot. However the landing was off and her leg buckled, sending her falling to the ice.

Paul was up in an instant. Grabbing hold of the half wall surrounding the rink with one hand, he lifted himself to jump over it, landing agily on the ice. Running toward her, he dropped to his knee at her side. It all happened so fast, she hadn't even recovered from her fall.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked in a frantic tone as he held out his hands. She looked up to him, and froze, eyes wide. Neither of them heard the older man shouting at them.

"Hey!" came the voice of the other boy as he skated up to them. "You're not allowed on the ice without skates," he told Paul, looking angry that Paul had rushed to the girl's aid before he had. Paul ignored him, helping pull the girl to her feet.

"Thank you," she said and Paul felt his heart flutter. Her voice was perfect. He could listen to her talk all day and never grown tired of hearing her speak.

"You're welcome," he replied. "I'm Paul," he said, holding his hand out.

"Natasha," she said with a smile as she shook his head. He grinned at the blush that spread to her cheeks.

"And I'm Chris. Now can you get off the ice so we can get back to training?"

"Oh, yeah," Paul said as he let go of her hand and put both his hands in his pockets, a move meant to try and control himself. "See ya later," he said to Natasha before turning around and walking over to the entry onto the ice. Halfway there he turned back to look at Natasha. Chris was talking frantically to her as she nodded. Then Paul saw her eyes shift up to look at him. They both grinned before he turned around and walked off the ice.

Paul spent the rest of Claire's lesson leaning against a pillar and watching Natasha and Chris skate. Technically, he was watching Natasha. He was amazed by how she moved, how gentle and elegant she was. Every time Chris picked her up in the air, Paul tensed and balled his hands into fists. The last thing he wanted was to phase right there in the rink.

All too soon, Claire was slowly skating her way over to Paul.

"I'm weady!" she said happily as she carefully stepped over the lip in the entryway, walking onto the solid ground surrounding the rink. Paul got one last look at Natasha before looking down at Claire.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he bent down and picked her up, swinging her to sit on his hip. As much as it annoyed him to play babysitter, he had to admit that Claire was adorable and he couldn't help but soften when he was around her.

"Yep! All done!" She said cheerfully as she kicked her feet back and forth, nearly hitting the fork of Paul's legs. He chuckled as he grabbed her feet and held them still.

"Careful! You've got your skates on," he told her, trying not to imagine how much it would have hurt if she had hit him with her blades. "Now let's go home." With one final look back at Natasha, Paul pushed open the door and walked Claire out of the building.

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_Well? How was it? Let me know by hitting that little button down there. I've decided I won't post the next chapter (which IS written) until I get 10 reviews for this chapter, making the story's total reviews come to 15. Sound good? Okay go!_


	3. Chapter 2

_Hey guys!! Thanks for all the reviews!! They were awesome! I meant to respond to reviews on my last post but I was in a hurry to get it up before class and completely forgot! So, here you go! Responses to your reviews:_

_**Starlight5577**: I hope all my skating terms etc are up to par. I haven't skated in years and it was just doing swizzles or whatever around the rink. Let me know if anything is off! haha. And I'm glad Paul is your 2nd fav wolf. He's mine too!! He is definitely going to go crazy, and of course he'll be driving all the other wolves crazy too haha._

_**LChandler2009**: I love Paul imprint stories too. I just think it's cute to imagine a guy with anger management issues falling for a girl so hard. I think that's what I like most about Paul imprint stories haha._

_**TwilightFanAKAKiraKitsune**: The reason I'm not calling the town La Push is because it doesn't take place in La Push. It takes place in Quillayute, Washington which is about a 30 minuteish drive from La Push. I didn't think La Push would have it's own skating rink that Natasha would use and since Quillayute has an airport, I figured that would be a logical place to put a fake skating rink. Hope that makes sense!_

_**twilightgal4life, rachbehappy, Musik Drache, danie568, Flaca514, xxlovexxyouxx22, Aleena, **and** kiki: **Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story and I hope you keep reading it an enjoying it. Here's another update for all of you!!!!!!_

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NATASHA:

I wasn't used to our change of schedule. Starting today, Chris and I would be training in the evenings on Tuesdays. Since I had been here we always trained 9-12 and 1-4. Now Andre was taking on a new student and would be giving classes on Tuesday afternoons. Our new training time was 7-10. Technically the rink closed at 9 on weekdays but Andre was able to pull a few strings for our benefit.

So here we were, 7 o'clock at night, training at the rink. We were on one half of the rink while the other end was taken up by a class of little girls. While I waited for Chris to show up on the ice I watched them. None of them seemed to be over the age of six and the most they could do was slowly make their way across the ice. I recognized their teacher as Tanya, one of the older women who worked at the rink. She was trying to teach them swivels but by the looks of it, it wasn't going well. I let out a light laugh as Chris appeared beside me.

"Ready?" he asked and I gave him a look.

"You mean ready for hell?" he smirked.

"Exactly," he responded, just as Andre made his way over to us.

"Let's see your third routine," he called to us as we both stepped onto the ice.

"Here we go," Chris whispered in my ear and then we were off.

There's really no way I can describe skating except to say that it's perfect. The way the ice glides beneath my feet. The way the soft wind ripples through my hair. When I jump through the air I get chills through my body. I was made for skating.

After a half hour of practice, I found myself yawning. My body was not used to this kind of workout at this time of day.

"Natasha! Chris!" Andre called us over after we finished our routine. We had been staying in the quarter of the rink closest to him so we had not been able to try any of our big moves. We skated over to him and leaned up against the wall as he talked. This gave me a chance to stretch my legs and give them each a rest.

"What's up boss?" Chris asked Andre. I could tell he was just as drained as I was. Andre was having him put in an extra hour a day on weights. He said the two month break we had just come back from had not helped Chris' upper body strength. At first I was slightly self conscious and worried about how much I had eaten on our break but Chris insisted it wasn't me, it really was him. He hadn't worked out at all, something which was frowned upon in our profession. Even if we had a break, we were still expected to keep our bodies fit.

"I want you two to spread out on the rink. Use up more room. Do a couple of your big moves. I want a hydrant lift, a death spiral, a platter lift and a..." he paused in thought.

"Triple throw jump?" Chris offered and I turned to glare at him. We hadn't practiced one of those since before our break. I hadn't even nailed the double throw jump in the past week, something which was really frustrating me. Andre grinned.

"Yes. A triple throw jump. Off you go, in order." I sighed as I followed Chris across the ice.

"Why would you suggest that? I haven't even landed the double yet." Chris shrugged.

"Maybe the double's just giving you problems. We've done a triple before. That's what won us the Manchester Open last year." I sighed again as we prepared ourselves for the hydrant lift. Chase lifted me into the air, tossed me up, did a full spin, and then caught me and placed me back on my left foot perfectly. We both smiled. One down, three to go.

After performing the platter lift, something which caused Chris a little bit of trouble in holding me horizontally above his head, I mentally prepped myself for the throw jump. I was extremely nervous and I was sure we weren't going to land it. I wasn't going to land it.

"Just relax," Chris told me as he skated past to his position. "You'll do fine. You can land this like a piece of cake," I nodded to myself as I held out my hand. We both skated smoothly and when I was ready I gave a little jump and felt him lift me up. He held me for a second before tossing me in the air.

It all happened in slow motion. As soon as he hands lost connection with my hips I rotated myself once. Twice. Three times. A small smile spread across my face as I completely my third spin. Bracing my left leg for the landing, I wasn't prepared to feel my shoe buckle underneath me. My smile vanished as I collapsed on the ice, spinning off slightly and coming to a stop.

"Are you okay?" A worried male voice asked. I was surprised to hear that it wasn't Chris who was holding his hand out to me. Looking up, I found myself staring into a pair of deep brown eyes. I felt my eyes widen as I took in the guy in front of me.

His russet-colored skin hinted in my head that he was Native American, most likely one of the Quileutes whose reservation was down the road a bit. His pitch-black hair was cut short and combed forward to shag up over his forehead. The two of us just stared at each other. He had to be one of the most beautiful beings I had ever witnessed.

"Hey!" shouted Chris, coming to a stop beside us. I didn't even realize he was still on the ice. I had thought everyone had disappeared except for myself and this beautiful being before me. "You're not allowed on the ice without skates," he said to the other guy and I looked away from his face. He was dressed in dark washed jeans and a t-shirt and Chuck Taylor shoes. It hadn't even registered in my head that he wasn't wearing skates.

Ignoring Chris' comment, the guy helped me to my feet and I carefully steadied my skates.

"Thank you," I told him, feeling slightly awkward under his intense gaze.

"You're welcome," he told me and I nearly swooned at his voice. It sent shivers down my spine and I had to use all my force to stop from visibly shivering. "I'm Paul," he said as he stuck out his hand. I liked the name, it fit him well. I placed my small hand in his much larger one. Immediately I felt the warmth radiate from his hand into mine making me blush. I cursed my stupid blushing abilities but he grinned at me, making me blush more.

"Natasha," I replied as we shook hands. For some reason, the introduction didn't seem complete. A small part of me wanted to kiss him instead.

"And I'm Chris," I heard my partner say in his annoyed tone. "Now can you get off the ice so we can get back to training?" I wanted to punch Chris for what he was saying. I wanted to stop skating and just spend the next two hours getting to know Paul.

"Oh, yeah," Paul said and he let go of my hand. The chill that spread across them accentuated the loss of warmth from his hand and I tried to keep myself from frowning. He put both his hands in his pockets. "See ya later," he said to me before turning and walking to the entry way onto the ice.

"What the hell was that?" Chris asked me as soon as he knew Paul was out of earshot.

"I don't know," I said, still glancing at Paul's retreating back. "I've never seen him before," I said as if in a daze.

"Well come on, before Andre kills us. Let's try that triple again. He's going to make us do it until we get it right so try to concentrate on your feet instead of any men in the room," I snapped my head in his direction.

"Sorry that my part in this toss is so much harder than yours," Chris sighed.

"Come on Natasha, you know what I meant," I realized he was just as frustrated with the toss as I was so I nodded before glancing over his shoulder at Paul again. To my surprise, he was looking at me with an intense expression. I couldn't help it as I grinned at him. He grinned back at me before he turned and continued off the ice. "Ready?" Chris' voice brought me back,

"Yeah, let's do this."

For the next thirty minutes I could feel Paul's eyes on me, every move I made. Luckily I didn't fall again. If I had, I would have been extremely embarrassed. I had never had a guy treat me this way before. Sure I had had boyfriends at my old house; I wasn't completely naive when it came to boys. It was just different to have someone watch me as intently as I knew Paul was.

"Finally," Chris said after a while and I looked where he was looking. The class had finished and the little girls were slowly making their way off the ice. I looked around quickly, realizing I hadn't looked for Paul in a while. I frowned lightly when I saw him lift a little girl from the class up into his arms. I had to admit, it was probably the cutest thing I had ever seen. However, what did this mean? Was she his? He looked older than me by a couple years at least. For all I knew he could be married. I sighed in defeat before turning back to Chris.

"Ready to do a routine on the whole rink?" I asked him and he nodded.

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_Hope you all enjoyed it! Hit that little button down there and tell me what you thought!!!! Love you all!!!!!_


	4. Chapter 3

_Hey guys! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend!!! I know I sure enjoyed sleeping in!!! Now it's nose back to the grindstone with tons of school work. I thought I'd push this one out before I head off to class so if there are any little mistakes, it's not my fault :( On the plus side, it's the longest chapter yet! Twice as long as the others, about 9 pages!!!!! Hope you enjoy reading it all!_

_But first, reader responses:_

_starlight5577- Glad you think my skating terms are perfect haha. I found a couple mistakes I had made in spelling in one of the previous chapters but I just decided to leave it there. Maybe a skater will read it someday and laugh haha. And yeah, if a hot guy who looked to be mid-20s talked to me, then picked up a little girl and walked out of the building, I'd definitely think she was his too! Way to go Paul! Geez!_

_FutureOscarWinner94- Thanks! Hope this chapter is up to par!_

_twilightgal4life- Thanks for being one of my loyal readers/reviewers haha. Hope you like this chapter!!_

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PAUL:

It had been a week since Paul had seen Natasha and he was in hell. A week since he had seen his imprint for the first time. For the last time. He groaned and put his head in his hands.

"When did I become such a sap?" he asked himself out loud. Then he groaned. "I guess imprinting does that to you." He sighed again before getting up from his bed and walking into the kitchen.

The pack had all been happy for his imprint. Paul knew they all hoped that Natasha would help calm him a bit. The only problem was seeing her again. Everyone had offered him suggestions. Even Leah had told him to just show up at her house. However, as Jared was quick to point out, he didn't know anything about her, other than her name and that she skated. The last thing he wanted to do was creep her out.

Quil had offered to let him tag along to Claire's next skating lesson and Paul had jumped at the suggestion right away. It just sucked that he couldn't see her before then.

The clock above the oven read 6pm. Paul had been on patrol last night, something which helped take his mind off of Natasha a little bit. Grabbing food from the fridge, he scarfed it down before going into the bathroom to get ready. He had always been well groomed, always the ladies man of the group as they had all been growing up. Now though, he had a different reason to look good. This was his imprint at stake, he had to impress her.

At 6:30 Quil honked from the driveway. Claire was sitting in the back seat in her car seat, ready to go. Paul grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head before jogging out the door, locking it behind him.

"Dude why do you even lock it? As if anyone would break into a werewolf's house," Quil joked as Paul climbed in the door, slamming it behind him.

"Habit. Let's go," Paul said quickly and Quil laughed again as he drove out of the driveway.

"A little anxious?" he asked and Paul turned to him.

"If I were you I'd watch it. I don't really want to ruin your car when I phase," Quil shot him a look.

"Claire's in the back seat in case I need to remind you," he stated, all joking gone. Paul sighed.

"I know, I'm just...argh," Paul groaned and Quil smirked again.

"Boy am I glad I won't have to go through all this when Claire gets older," he teased and Paul glared at him.

"God do I hope you do," he said and there was a pause before they both laughed.

When they got to the ice rink they were running a little late so Quil grabbed Claire and hopped out, leaving Paul to park the truck. After finding a good spot, Paul checked himself one last time in the rearview mirror before heading into the rink.

The first thing he noticed was that Natasha was skating alone. He glanced around the rink and grinned with pleasure. Her partner wasn't anywhere to be seen. Realizing he looked like a loser just standing there, Paul glanced to the bleachers, heading towards where Quil was sitting. Making his way up the steps, he plopped down next to his friend, handing him the truck keys.

"That her?" Quil asked with a nod in Natasha's direction. As they both looked at her, she began a low spin, practically sitting on the ice.

"Yeah, that's her," Paul said as she lifted herself up, spinning faster as she reached her full height.

"Well where's her partner?" Quil asked, looking around the rink. Paul shrugged.

"Not here."

"Well that makes it easier for you," Quil added with a laugh. Natasha skated past them, winding herself up and leaping in the air, spinning once before landing. She immediately jumped in the air and repeated the move twice. When she finished, Quil shocked Paul by standing up and cheering as loud as he could.

"Quil dude, sit down," Paul whispered sharply, pulling Quil down by the seat of his pants. However, the damage was done and Natasha had seen them. Paul could see her cheeks flush from where he was sitting on the bleachers. She turned and skated over to the wall, stepping off the ice and picking a water bottle up from the ground.

"Go talk to her," Quil urged and Paul rolled his eyes, standing up.

"I'll go if you stop acting like an ass," he said. As he jumped off the bleachers he could still hear Quil's laughter. Making his way over to where Natasha was still drinking from her water bottle, she looked up at him as he came to a stop in front of her. "Hey," he said, hoping it sounded smooth.

"Hey," Natasha said with a smile as she dropped her water bottle to the ground. "I saw your friend enjoyed the show," she teased and he laughed, rubbing his hand nervously behind his neck.

"Yeah, Quil's kinda obnoxious like that," he said. "Sorry." She laughed.

"Don't worry about it, it's nice to know at least a few people are watching me. I figured everyone here would have their eyes glued to their kids," she said with a nod in the class' direction. Paul nodded.

"Well Quil's here because he babysits one of the girls in the class," he explained and she looked at him.

"And you? Why are you here?" she asked, watching him for his answer. He shrugged, hoping he wasn't blushing.

"Eh, I came with Quil to keep him company," he said and she gave him a look, making him even more nervous. "And to see if you'd be here again," he finally admitted and this time it was her turn to blush. "So where's your partner, what's-his-name?" Paul asked, looking around in hopes to change the subject. Natasha glanced back at the ice.

"Oh he's sick. He's sick and my coach is off at a competition with one of his younger girls. So, I'm left to train by myself," she said with a shrug of her arms. "It's kinda hard to practice pairs tricks by yourself though," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah I bet," Paul said as he glanced over at Quil. He was watching Paul and Natasha intently and made a thumbs up at Paul. Paul flipped him off before turning back to Natasha. Luckily for him she had been watching the class on the ice and had missed the exchange. "So how long will you practice for?" he asked.

"Oh until nine probably. We usually train until ten on Tuesday's but I really don't want to stay that long by myself," she told him and he nodded.

"Understandable," Paul said. He wanted more than anything to just continue talking with her forever but he knew she had to get back to skating. "Well, I won't keep you; you probably want to get back to skating." She laughed.

"No really, it's fine. I've skated for three hours already this morning by myself. I'm actually debating just calling it quits now." Then she surprised him. "Want to go grab food somewhere?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Uh sure," He said, taken by surprise at her offer. Then he glanced up at Quil. "But I came with Quil and I don't think he'd let me take his truck..." he trailed off, hoping their plans wouldn't fall through.

"We can take my car," Natasha piped up as she slid the plastic guards onto her blades. "Just give me about fifteen minutes to get changed and I'll meet you back here." Paul nodded.

"Sounds good," he told her. "I'm gonna go tell Quil about my change of plans," Natasha turned toward the girls' locker room as Paul walked over to the bleachers.

"How was the chat? She totally in love with you yet?" Quil teased as Paul came and sat back by him.

"Nah, not yet. We're going out for food though." Quil clapped him on the back.

"Way to make the moves bro!" He applauded but Paul shook his head.

"I didn't ask, she did," before Quil could make a comment, Paul continued talking. "So I'm heading out with her. If you guys need me I'll have my cell on. I'll phase and run back when we're done," he said and Quil nodded.

"Okay sounds good. I'll be here with Claire until 8ish so if you two happen to be done before that just come back here and catch a lift with us," Paul nodded as he looked over at the locker room as Natasha walked out.

She was dressed in dark-washed jeans and a low-cut pink V-neck shirt. Her hair was now down and fell in soft waves to her shoulder blades and her winter coat was folded over her arm.

"Well there's your woman," Quil commented, earning him a punch from Paul. "Ow, see if I wait for you now!" Quil scolded as Paul jumped down the bleachers and walked over to meet Natasha.

"Ready?" he asked and she nodded, putting her coat on and pulling her bag up on her shoulder.

"Yeah, my car's out back," she said as she led the way out the back doors. With a final wave at Quil, Paul followed her. She led him through the parking lot and to a black Honda Civic. Paul noted that it was the newest model.

"Nice car," he said as she unlocked the doors and they got in.

"Thanks. My dad got it for me for my birthday last year," she said as she started the engine. "All I know is that it's a Honda Civic and it drives well on snowy roads," Paul laughed.

"You're such a girl," he told her and she frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him and he smirked.

"Believe me, that's a good thing," he assured her and she blushed again. He smiled.

"So where do you want to go?" she asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Paul shrugged and she smiled. "I know this good coffee place nearby," Paul cut her off.

"Sure, sounds good," he said and she laughed.

"Okay, Simply Javalicious it is then," now it was his turn to laugh.

"Nice name," he teased and she frowned at him.

"My mom's friend happens to own it thank you very much," she said and he shut up quickly. She smiled at him. "Just teasing. She didn't name it, she just bought it."

The rest of the drive there they continued to talk, getting to know each other. All too soon for Paul they were pulling into the parking lot of a small, comfortable coffee shop. Natasha parked the car and then they both got out and walked into the shop.

"Natasha Marie Bascov! It has been ages since you've been in here!" A cheerful woman with bright red hair shouted as soon as the two of them walked through the door. Paul looked around the shop to take everything in. There was only one pair of teenage girls sitting in the far corner, whispering over their steaming cups. Neither looked up to take in the new arrivals.

The woman had come around from behind the counter and she currently held Natasha in a tight hug. When they broke apart, she turned to Paul and raised an eyebrow.

"And who is this?" she asked, eyeing Natasha. The look clearly said 'explain now' and it made Paul suddenly very nervous.

"Oh, Charley this is Paul. Paul, this is my mom's friend Charlotte. She owns the shop." Paul stuck out his hand and Charley took it, giving him the once over.

"Very nice to meet you," he said politely, secretly wishing the pack could be here to witness this. They all used to say they would feel sorry for the girl he imprinted on because of his manners.

"Oh I like this one Tash, he's a keeper," Charley said as she turned and headed back behind the counter. Paul looked at Natasha and grinned at the blush spreading across her cheeks. She seemed to do that a lot when he was around. "Now what do you two want? Hey aren't you supposed to be training right now?" She suddenly asked, giving Natasha an accusing look. Natasha's face paled.

"Please don't say anything to mom or dad. Chris is sick and Andre's out at a competition with Leanette. I practiced by myself for almost four hours today. I did all the tricks I can do without Chris. What more can you expect from a girl?" Charley paused for a second before nodding.

"Point taken. Besides, I wouldn't have passed up a date with him either," she gave a nod in Paul's direction and he grinned at her. Natasha blushed deeper.

"It's not really a date," she said softly.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite hear you," Charley teased with a side glance at Paul. "Okay, what do you two want?" She asked, seeming to decide that Natasha had been picked on enough.

"I'll have the usual," Natasha said with a smile. Then both women turned to Paul and he shrugged.

"I'm not really a frou-frou drink kinda guy," he explained and Charley and Natasha looked at each other.

"Hot chocolate?" Charley asked and Natasha nodded. "Okay, one hot chocolate and one caramel macchiato with skim milk and nonfat whipped cream," Natasha nodded again as Charley went to ring it up.

"Oh and two bagels," Natasha added. Charley nodded, adding it to the tab.

"I think your drink's harder to say than it is to drink," Paul told her as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

"$9.85," Charley said as she rung up the drinks. Before Natasha could even open her purse, Paul had the bills held out to Charley.

"I can pay for mine," Natasha said softly but Paul turned to her with a grin.

"I got it," he told her and from the way Natasha's eyes shifted over his shoulder, Paul knew Charley was making some face or gesture about him. Ignoring it with a smirk, he took his change and walked over to an empty table. He wanted to give the two women a moment to whisper to each other. Sure enough, when he turned around they were both talking quietly, heads together. Paul laughed to himself as Natasha said a final word to Charley before grabbing the two bagels, turning around, and walking over to him, sitting across from him.

"Sorry about her," she said with a nod in Charley's direction. "She's worse than high school girls," she explained and Paul shrugged.

"I think she's funny," he said. "She seems to think a great deal of you," he told her and she nodded.

"Charley lives close by our house. The day we moved here she showed up at our door with mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. She's been a family friend ever since. She's practically a second mother." As if on cue, Charley walked over carrying both mugs.

"Here you go. Natasha tell your mom to stop by sometime soon. And bring the kids. I barely see your family anymore." Natasha gave her a look.

"Charley I can't tell her that because then she'll ask when I saw you. You may understand my ditching training but my mom sure won't," Charley sighed.

"True. Well, sometime soon you better stop in here when it's allowed and then you can tell your mom to visit," Natasha laughed.

"Sounds good," she said and Charley left, leaving the two of them alone.

"When did you move here?" Paul asked as they both took sips of their drinks. He had to admit, Charley made a mean hot chocolate.

"Two years ago. Before then we lived in Ohio. When I was 15 my trainer told my parents he couldn't work with me anymore. I was top of my game and he felt that I couldn't learn anymore from him. He recommended Andre, my current trainer and so we moved here and I've been working with him ever since."

"So you're...17?" Paul asked and she nodded.

"You?"

"21. I could get in big trouble for this, you're not even legal," he stated and she shrugged.

"It's not worth the risk?" she asked. In response, he looked at her intensely.

"Oh it's definitely worth it," he stated and then he smiled when she blushed yet again. He had to start keeping count. Realizing she was uncomfortable, he changed the subject. "So Charley said something about your mom bringing the kids. Siblings?" Natasha nodded.

"Yeah I have a younger brother and sister. Tyler is 13 and Natalie is six. You?" Paul shook his head.

"No siblings. I was an only child growing up," Natasha took a long sip of her drink, as if she was preparing herself for something. When she swallowed, she looked at him.

"So when we first met, I saw you with a little girl..." she trailed off and it took him a second to realize what she was asking. He laughed.

"Claire? Claire's Quil's," he said. When she raised her eyebrow in confusion, he quickly clarified. "I mean he's usually the one who watches her. He was running late at work and called to see if I'd take her to her lesson for him." Natasha nodded.

"I was worried she was yours," she said with a gentle laugh and he grinned.

"You were _worried_?" he stressed and she rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean," she said as she took another sip of her drink. Paul noticed that she looked very relieved.

They spent the next hour chatting and asking each other questions, continuing the getting-to-know-each other process. All too soon Charley was practically shoving them out the door.

"As much as I love you, I love sleep more. You are more than welcome to come back tomorrow at seven when I open," she said as she stood in the doorway. "Bye Natasha, it was good to see you again. Stop by more often,"

"I promise I will. The drinks tempt me too much," Charley laughed before turning to Paul.

"You too, stop by whenever. Don't think you can only come here if she invites you. Of course, I wouldn't oppose seeing more of you two together..." she trailed off as Natasha shot her a look. Paul grinned and waved as he got in the car.

"The hot chocolate was great. Thanks!" he called before shutting the door. Natasha climbed in the driver's side and turned to him.

"I am really, really sorry about her. Sometimes she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut," Paul shrugged.

"It's fine. I still think she's funny," Natasha sighed.

"I think she's embarrassing," she said quietly. Paul was sure she didn't mean for him to hear it but he replied anyway.

"You don't know embarrassing until you meet my friends. They're embarrassing," he told her and she smiled.

"If they're all like Quil then I'm sure you're right," he laughed.

"Well...no, yeah. They're all like Quil. Or most of them anyway. Sam and Jake are the most well behaved of the group. Quil, Embry, Jared, and Seth are the worst. They goof around a lot."

"And where do you fit into the group?" Natasha asked. Paul turned to her with a sad facial expression.

"I'm known as the hothead," he told her. He was surprised when she burst into a fit of laughter.

"You, the hothead? I don't believe it," she said and he shook his head.

"No, when something gets me mad, it usually gets me really mad. I have anger management problems," he explained. Natasha looked at him warily.

"Should I be worried to be in the same car as you?" she asked and he laughed.

"I promise I won't get mad," he told her. The conversation ended and they drove silently for a while before Natasha smacked the steering wheel.

"I forgot to ask, where am I driving you?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"Wherever. You can take me back to the rink if you want," he told her but she looked at him.

"It's fine, I can drive you wherever. My parents aren't expecting me home until about 10:15 and it's only..." she glanced at the clock on her car radio "...9:07. Around 10:30 they'll call me to find out where I am so I have almost an hour and a half," he laughed.

"Okay okay, no need to go into such technical details. I live in La Push on the Res," he explained.

"I know how to get to La Push but after that you'll have to give me directions to your house," he nodded.

Twenty minutes later found them pulling into Paul's driveway, Natasha's headlights shining off of his big truck.

"Here we are," Paul said as Natasha brought her car to a stop. She turned to look at him.

"Am I supposed to walk you to your door now?" she teased and he laughed.

"If you walk me to my door, I'll have to walk you back to your car. Kind of counterproductive," he told her and she nodded.

"True. Well, I had fun tonight. Thanks for helping me skip training." Paul laughed.

"Anytime," he paused before blurting out what had been on his mind for the entire car ride. "Do you want to maybe do something this coming weekend? I know you have your training and stuff but maybe if you have free time or something?" He wordlessly cursed himself. He never got this nervous around girls. Why was he this nervous now?

"Sure, I'd like that," she said with a smile and a slight blush. "I have Friday and Saturday nights off and I'm usually free Saturday afternoon too. I can give you my number if you want to call me..." she trailed off when he nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Yeah that sounds good." She gave him the digits and then he called her phone, letting his number appear on her screen. "I'll call you tomorrow about this weekend," he told her and she smiled.

"Take your time. I know 'tomorrow' in guy means 'three days from now,'" she teased and he laughed.

"Well, I better get going, don't want you to be late getting home. Are you sure you know how to get back?" She nodded.

"If not I can always call you," she reminded him. They both laughed before Paul reached for the door handle. What he really wanted to do was lean forward and kiss her. He really, _really_ wanted to kiss her. But what he wanted more than that was to make sure she was comfortable and happy around him... That meant not pushing things.

"I'll see you later," he told her before getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him. When he got to his doorstep he turned around and watched her pull out of the driveway. With a final wave, he turned around and walked inside.

* * *

_There! Hope you all enjoyed it! They've had their first "date" now! What will happen this weekend...?? Don't forget to press that pretty little button down there and review. I'd appreciate it ever-so-much!!!! Thanks guys!_


	5. Chapter 4

_Here's Chapter 4! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter!!!!!_

* * *

NATASHA:

As I drove back from Paul's house I had a hard time keeping my mind on the road. I tried to concentrate as much as possible until I turned onto a familiar street and instinctively knew the way home.

What was this? What was going on between Paul and me? Last week when we met, I admit I hoped I would see him again. The brief moment we had together had felt like so much more to me. I couldn't describe it; it was just something I felt. As the week wore on, I got more and more impatient for the next Tuesday to come. I only hoped he would be at the rink again.

When Chris had called to tell me he was sick, his comment was that now I could take Tuesday off. If it had been any other day of the week I probably would have. However, this was Tuesday, the day I had been waiting for since last Tuesday.

As I spent my time skating around the rink, I tried to be on the lookout in case he did show up. I would have noticed him eventually, but his friend did help a little bit. It was made better by the fact that he came down to see me. If he hadn't, I realized I would have no clue how to talk to him again. Anything I could think of would just make things awkward.

I don't really know what made me blurt out the suggestion that we go somewhere for food but as soon as he agreed, I was glad I had. Otherwise, I realized my decision to practice without Chris would have been useless.

The hour we spent at Charley's shop was great. Of course, she took every opportunity to embarrass me. It was almost worse than how my parents would react if I brought a boy home. Almost. I was happy that Paul liked her though. Charley was almost like a first step in "meeting the parents." She was like a mom to me. A less stern, more friend-ish mom who I could talk to about anything. Having her meet Paul was almost like preparing me to introduce him to my parents.

Was that going to happen though? I had to admit I was extremely disappointed when he didn't kiss me goodbye in the car. My joke about walking him to his door had been partially serious. If I walked him to the door, it might have been less awkward to lean in for a kiss than in a car. If it weren't for the fact that he had asked me on a second...date? Hang out? Whatever it was, I would have assumed he didn't have fun and wanted to get rid of me. Maybe he was just trying to be a gentleman.

I pulled off the main road and onto my street. It was ten to ten; my parents would probably ask me why I was home early. Of course, the interrogation would be less worse than if I hadn't driven Paul home and had showed up earlier.

Paul.

This boy was really causing me problems. This past week my mind had kept drifting back to him, and all I had known was his name. How would these next few days be now that I knew so much more about him? And what happened if he never called? What happened if our plans fell through? I would probably be crushed. I don't know why, I'd had dates fall through before. Paul just seemed more...real than the other guys. Maybe it was his age, but he seemed to stand a head above the rest. Literally and figuratively of course.

The age difference would probably bother my dad. It was only four years but when you're not even 18 yet, that seems like a decade. My birthday was only a couple months away though. If Paul and I got to the "meet the parents" stage, I could put it off until after I was legal.

"Tash?" My mom called as I walked through the front door. "What are you doing home early?" she asked as she came around the corner from the kitchen. I shrugged as I hoisted my bag up on my shoulder and headed for the stairs.

"I ran out of things to practice without Chris. Don't worry, I did everything I could. I'm going to take a shower," I said as I jogged up the stairs.

When I walked into my room, I found Natalie's Barbies scattered across my floor. I sighed as I kicked a few of them aside and set my bag down in their place. Then I gathered my things and headed to the bathroom. I needed a long shower.

* * *

The next morning I spent sleeping in. Chris had called to say he was still sick. He told me that if he found out I had gone to train anyway, he would cut up my favorite pair of tights. Needless to say he really didn't need to threaten me. Sleeping in was a luxury and I wasn't about to turn it down. However, by ten o'clock I was up, padding into the kitchen in my pajamas and slippers.

With mom and dad at work and Natalie and Tyler at school, I had the whole house to myself. Making a pot of coffee and putting a piece of bread in the toaster, I sat down at the kitchen table and flipped through the newspaper. I jumped up when I suddenly heard my phone going off upstairs. Recognizing it as my text alert, I waited to get it until after I had poured my coffee and buttered my toast.

As I flipped open my phone I almost gasped out loud. The text was from Paul!

'Just makin sure u made it home in 1 piece'

I laughed as I set my coffee down and typed a response.

'Yep! Mom didn't even question why I was early'

I grabbed my coffee and headed back downstairs, waiting for him to text back. It didn't take long.

'Aren't u supposed to be at the rink...?'

I rolled my eyes and responded.

'Chris is sick again so I'm skipping'

After I finished eating my toast and drinking my coffee, I took my dishes to the kitchen, putting them in the dishwasher. When that was done I went upstairs to change out of my pajamas and into actual clothes. After brushing my teeth I walked back into my room and saw my phone lit up. Flipping it open, I clicked read as I carried my pajamas to the laundry room to be put in the wash.

'Aren't u lucky. i wish i got to skip work when jared got sick'

'Is that where you are now? Work?'

After sending the text I went back downstairs to plop myself in front of the television. If I was going to slack off today, I might as well do it right. I had just settled on watching an old episode of Gilmore Girls when my phone rang. I grabbed it when I realized it was a phone call instead of a text.

"Hello?" I asked, not even thinking to check the caller ID.

"Hey," came that deep, hypnotizing voice I was growing to like so much.

"Oh hey. What's up?" I asked, hoping it came off as calm and relaxed. Inside I was freaking out.

"Not much. I'm sitting here at the shop with Quil and Jake and we're not really doing anything so I thought I'd-" he was cut off by a loud thud. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" I heard him exclaim. His shout was then followed by a bunch of rustling and incoherent exclamations.

"Uh, Paul?" I asked, wondering what the heck was going on and whether I should be worried. Not much later his voice came back on the phone.

"Hey, sorry. Quil decided to throw a wrench at me."

"Oh my God are you okay?" I asked. Wrenches weren't something I would want thrown at me. It sounded painful.

"Yeah I'm fine. Idiot missed," he said with a laugh. "But anyway, we're not doing anything so I thought I'd call you to settle our plans for this weekend." At his comment I felt my stomach flutter.

"Sounds good, I'm not really doing anything right now anyway," I replied, flipping through the channels absentmindedly. Paul laughed again.

"Boy you're really taking this day off to its full extent," he said and I laughed.

"Very true. So this weekend..." I said, trailing off in the hopes that he had something planned.

"Yeah, I was thinking. Wanna catch a movie in town Friday night? I know it's kinda cliché but there are a lot of good movies out. We could go out for dinner beforehand too if you want..."

"Sure that sounds great. I'm done with training at 4 on Friday so whenever you want is fine with me," I wanted to make it as easy as possible for us to get together. For some reason Paul was special and for some reason I didn't want to lose him.

"How about I pick you up at 5:30. We can go out to dinner and go to an 8 o'clock showing. Sound good?" It sounded great.

"Yeah. What movie do you want to see?" I heard him make a noise of indifference.

"Whatever you want to see. Just...please don't make it too chick flicky," he pleaded and I heard two male voices laugh on his end of the phone.

"So I take it 'Love Me for Me' is out of the question?" I teased, causing him to fake a groan.

"Yes please. I might have to kill myself," I laughed.

"Well we wouldn't want that," I paused as I thought of all the movies out that I wanted to see. "What about that new Mark Smithfield movie?"

"Spy Mind? Yeah that looked good,"

'Are you kidding? That looked fucking amazing! Take me with you!' I heard a voice shout in the background.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"That was Quil. Just ignore him, I usually do," I heard the sound of someone getting hit and I laughed. Suddenly the home phone started ringing.

"Shit, that's probably my mom calling to try and get me to change my mind and go in to train. I'll see you Friday?"

"Yeah, Friday. I'll call you before I leave to get directions." I smiled, finding myself blushing. I was so lucky Paul couldn't see me.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," I didn't understand why my voice suddenly sounded so soft and shy.

"Bye," Paul's deep, husky voice said into the phone and chills ran over my skin. I pressed the end button on my phone before dashing into the kitchen to grab the house phone before it went to the answering machine.

"Finally," my mom said when I answered. "I thought maybe you had changed your mind and gone to the rink," I rolled my eyes, glad she couldn't see me.

"No mom, I really wanted a day to relax. Besides, I can't practice all our tricks if Chris and Andre both aren't there," I explained as I leaned against the counter, looking out the window. The inch dusting of snow on the ground signaled the start of winter. Soon it would be Christmastime and then both Natalie and Tyler would be home. This was one of my last chances to truly be by myself.

"Alright, just checking. I have an hour off for lunch. Do you want to maybe meet somewhere?"

"Sure, why not Charley's place. We haven't been there in a while," I suggested, hoping Charley would be happy I had secretly filled her request.

"Yeah that sounds good. I'll meet you there a little after noon?"

"Yep! I'll see you then," I told her before we hung up. I glanced at the clock. An hour to get ready. Then an hour with mom. Why couldn't Friday come faster?

* * *

Not soon enough, Friday morning rolled around. Thursday Chris had been well enough to train and Thursday afternoon Andre was back. His new singles prodigy had won 1st in all her competitions and he was beaming. Little Camryn was going to be the next big thing according to him.

Friday morning I spent skating with Chris around the rink. Since we had the whole rink to ourselves Andre was able to play our music over the rink's sound system. Instead of practicing individual moves we were practicing our whole routines, getting everything down.

"Bring it in kids!" Andre called after we'd been skating for a good hour and a half. Chris and I skated over to where he was standing by the wall. "You've been doing well out there. You've definitely taken it up a notch since before you went on your break," he told us and I smiled. That was definitely something I liked hearing. "Now I thought I'd run it by you two but in a couple weeks there's a small competition going on up in Vancouver. Nothing big, I don't even think the winners get anything more than ribbons. I just thought it might be worth it to enter a few competitions to get you back in the swing of things before Nationals. Should I enter you two?"

"It's up to Natasha. I think we're ready and I'm fine with it. It will definitely get us back into the mindset of competitions," Chris looked over at me and I knew it was my decision. One word from me and it would be set either way. That's how much faith he put in me. He knew I would know whether we were ready.

"Let's do it," I said, looking at both of them with a wide smile. Chris gave me a high five and Andre pumped his fist in the air. I knew he really wanted us to compete. Being with Camryn for the past few days must have triggered his competitive side.

For the rest of the morning and afternoon we trained, preparing ourselves for the competition that would be held two weeks from Saturday. When I got home at 4:15 I was exhausted. Exhausted yet excited. An hour and fifteen minutes until Paul picked me up. He had texted me sometime during practice to ask for my address and I had quickly texted it back before Andre saw. We weren't allowed to have our phones at the rink.

As I walked into the house, I smiled at how quiet it was. Mom had Tyler and Natalie with her at work and she wouldn't be home until dinnertime. Dad was at hockey practice until 5. I had told both of them I was going out for a movie but I hadn't specified who I was going with, hoping the topic wouldn't be brought up. Although mom and dad weren't necessarily opposed to me dating, they were opposed to me letting something get in the way of skating. A boy could definitely do that.

Up in my room, I turned on my straightener and began the process of getting ready. Not including the hour at the coffee shop, Paul had only ever seen me dressed and done up as a skater. This was my chance to impress him.

I settled on my new dress my mom had gotten me. It was green and had a deep neckline. It went down to about mid-thigh so I settled on my black tights as well. I chose to wear matching green flats and I tied my black sash belt around my waist. When my straightner was hot I began working on my hair. I heard the door open and voices come into the house. Dad was home and from the sound of it, he'd brought some of the guys with him.

My dad got really close to the guys on his hockey team. Sometimes they would have team dinners and hangouts at our house. Mom didn't mind, as long as they obeyed the rules of the house and weren't bad influences to Tyler and Natalie. Some of the guys were annoying but a few of them treated me like a sister.

The sound of feet pounding up the stairs told me that they were coming upstairs, probably to check on me.

"Tash?" came a voice as someone knocked on my door.

"Come in!" I called from my bathroom and soon six guys were crowding into my bedroom. I glanced up to take a body inventory. Scott, Jeff, Walt, Mike, Lewis, and Ralph.

"Oooh where are you going?" Scott asked as he came up and leaned against my bathroom doorframe. Jeff and Ralph collapsed on my bed and Walt took my desk chair. That left Lewis standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"For your information, I have a date," I told him as I turned back to the mirror. "Just don't tell dad." A couple of the guys laughed.

"We won't tell Coach, if you tell us who he is," Ralph said and Walt and Jeff nodded in agreement. I sighed as I finished straightening my hair. Settling the iron down, I turned to them.

"His name is Paul Ballard. He's from the La Push Reservation," Mike looked up at her.

"You know there are a lot of rumors about those La Push boys," he said. Lewis nodded.

"Yeah, they've got this gang or something over there. Tony said he and his friends got in a scrape with a few of them. Really big guys, think they're tough, don't take shit," I shrugged as I slid my headband on.

"Well I happen to think Paul's fine," I told them. Inside, my mind was churning over this information. Paul had told me he was the hothead of the group. Should I be worried? I shook the thought out of my head. Paul seemed fine.

"So what time is he picking you up?" Scott asked as he walked over and shoved Jeff off of my bed, taking his spot.

"Uh, 5:30," I said. As I turned to glance at the clock, the doorbell rang.

"Sounds like he's right on time," Ralph said and all six guys jumped up and ran out the door.

"I got it!" was chorused from them and I groaned.

"If any of you so much as open that door I'll kill you!" I shouted as I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my purse. Shutting the door behind me, I took off down the hallway and down the stairs, coming to a stop when I saw Paul surrounded by the guys. Of course, he stood a few inches above all of them. Standing next to them all was my dad, his arms crossed.

"Natasha Marie, kitchen please?" my dad said before turning and walking out of the room.

"Busted," Walt whispered under his breath and Scott elbowed him. I turned to Paul apologetically.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," I said, indicating the guys and my dad. Then I turned to Scott. "Can you please, please just be nice for once? I'll be right back and I expect to see all of you still here," I told him. Then I turned and followed after my dad into the kitchen.

"I thought you said you were going to the movies with a friend," my dad said as soon as I walked in.

"I did, I am. Paul's just a friend dad, but thanks for making things a little more awkward," my dad sighed.

"I'm sorry Tash. A guy at the door just took me by surprise. Who is he even? How did you two meet?"

"His name is Paul Ballard. He's from the La Push Res. He was at the rink the past two Tuesdays and we got talking. It's nothing big," understatement of the year.

"Okay, I guess I can accept that. It's just hard to not put on the protective father role. I still see you as my little girl and as much as we may not like it, you're growing up," he sighed before rubbing his hand down his face. "Now let's go meet this kid, I have a feeling we've left him with the guys long enough," My dad patted me on the back as we walked back to the foyer.

Paul still stood by the door. The guys had all taken to sitting around the living room, all except Scott and Ralph, the two unofficial leaders of the group. They were both leaning against the wall, staring Paul down.

"Guys stop," I scolded as I shoved them away and grabbed Paul's arm. "Paul, this is my dad. Dad, this is Paul," They shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you Sir," Paul said politely and I smiled. So did my dad.

"Nice to meet you too. What's the plan for tonight?" he asked, looking at both of us.

"We're going to Lolita out in Port Angeles and then catching an 8 o'clock movie," Paul stated. Even I was impressed. He didn't come off as the perfect date planner. My dad raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Well, sounds like a good time," he stated before turning serious. "I trust you'll have her home by midnight?" Paul nodded.

"Of course Sir," he said. My dad nodded.

"Then have a good time," he told us as I walked forward to hug him.

"Thank you Daddy," I whispered in his ear and he nodded. Then he shook hands with Paul again.

"Good night Sir," Paul said as he opened the door for me.

"Bye guys!" I called as I walked out.

"Have fun. And Paul!" Scott called out, causing Paul to turn. "We know where La Push is," he threatened with a smirk. My dad smacked him on the head before shutting the door.

"Sorry about them," I told Paul as we walked over to his truck.

"Who are they?" He asked as he opened my door.

"Thanks. They're some of my dad's hockey team. They come over a lot for dinner and to hang out a stuff. It's sort of like having six big, overprotective brothers," I explained and he laughed before shutting the door and walking around to get in on his side.

"They sure care about you. I thought there was gonna be a smack down in your living room," he told me as he started the engine. I laughed.

"Don't worry, I told them they weren't allowed to do anything," I told him with a smile. He returned it with a smirk.

"I could take them," he told me and I laughed.

"6 to 1, yeah those are great odds," I told him. He just shrugged as we drove off down the road.

At the restaurant, which was very nice, we ate our food as we chatted and caught up on the week. I guess all the guys were getting fed up with their friend Sam's wife. Apparently she was pregnant and the hormones were making her edgy to everyone. Paul said she had practically thrown a frying pan at his head when she found out he had eaten the last of the bananas.

"The woman is insane," he told me and I laughed. He made it so easy to feel comfortable around him. When I had gone out with guys before, I usually was always on edge until we had been together for a while. With Paul, it just felt natural, like I'd known him my whole life.

"Oh guess what!" I told him excitedly as I drank a sip of my water. He looked at me expectantly, urging me to continue. "Chris and I are doing a competition up in Vancouver in a couple weeks," I said and he smiled.

"That's awesome! Did you just decide this today?" I nodded.

"Yeah at practice. Andre wanted us to do it so we are. We're working on our routine now and that's probably all we'll practice up until we leave."

"When do you leave?" he asked, frowning.

"The Wednesday after next. The competition starts Thursday but we don't compete until Friday. Andre wants us there early though so we can get used to skating at that rink a little bit. That way our first time on the ice won't be right before we compete." He smiled.

"That sounds like fun," he said and I grinned.

"I'm really excited. It's been a few months since our last competition and I'm ready to get back in that atmosphere."

"I can tell you really like it," he told me and I felt myself blush for some reason.

"Yeah, skating is my life. When I'm out on the ice, it's as if there's nothing but me, Chris, and our skates. It's nice to be able to get away like that, to just skate out there and relax," I trailed off and he grinned.

"Well you can definitely tell you like it by the way you skate," he told me and I blushed, unable to come up with anything to say to that. Although plenty of people had told me I was a good skater, hearing it from Paul made me feel twenty times better.

After dinner we headed across the street to the movie theater to catch our show. I protested to Paul buying the movie tickets but he told me he'd buy the tickets if I paid for the popcorn. I have no clue how he could still be hungry for popcorn after our meal but I agreed and got a large, just so I felt better about how much Paul had paid.

We found two seats in the movie toward the back. We settled into our seats and Paul immediately reached for the popcorn.

"Didn't you eat enough at the restaurant?" I asked him as I handed it off. He laughed as he took a handful.

"Large stomachs runs in the family," he explained and I rolled my eyes.

"You are such a guy," I told him and he smirked at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked me mockingly. I realized he was repeating what I had asked him when he called me a girl because I didn't know about my car.

"Believe me, it's a good thing," I quoted him back and he laughed as the theater darkened and the previews started.

The movie, 'Spy Mind' was actually pretty good. Action packed and of course the only romance was between the main guy and the ridiculously hot and perfect girl spy who wore extremely sexy clothes and could do practically everything. Still, I found myself enjoying it and I could tell Paul was too.

About halfway into the movie I realized his arm was lying on the back of my seat. Deciding to play bold, I leaned my head back, letting my shoulders touch his arm. I kept my eyes on the screen but saw him look at me from my peripheral vision. When I leaned back to my original position, I was glad when his arm followed me, nestling around my shoulders. Then it was his turn to play bold as he moved his hand and began to draw lazy circles on my shoulder with his fingers. Paying attention to the movie became very hard after that. I probably wouldn't be able to tell someone half of what happened.

When the movie finished, we both sat there for a minute before getting up and walking out of the theater. I glanced at my cell phone.

"9:50, what now?" I asked him as we walked.

"Now I take you home," he told me and I pouted.

"But my dad said I had to be home by 12. That's two hours left!" I told him. Had the date really been that awful? In response he smirked at me.

"It's been my experience that father's are more likely to let their daughters out again if the guy doesn't make them worry. Your dad knows the movie won't last until midnight and if I bring you home early, he'll trust me more," he explained and I sighed.

"I thought you'd be up for breaking rules, not enforcing them," I told him as we walked out into the cold winter air. Paul laughed and reached out to grab my hand and pull me back to him.

"We've had four and a half hours together. Don't you want to be able to go out again?" I sighed again.

"You make it so difficult to be mad," I told him as we began to walk through the small dusting of snow. I smiled when I realized he hadn't let go of my hand. I didn't plan on letting go of his either.

"Fine, I'll make a compromise. If you can think of something to do, I'll change my mind and take you home at 11," he told me and I grinned.

"Hmm...What to do..." I thought as we walked. We walked past the parking lot where his truck was parked and continued down the street. The brisk Washington winter was freezing but I didn't care. Paul's hand was warm enough to keep my whole body warm. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked him and he frowned.

"Yeah why?" he asked and I held up his hand.

"You're really hot," I said and he grinned.

"Why thanks," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Not you stupid, your body temperature," I said and he shrugged.

'I'm fine," he said and I felt his hand begin to pull away. I clutched it with both hands.

"No!" I exclaimed and he stopped, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't say I wanted to let go of you," I told him and he laughed before pulling his hand away and draping it over my shoulders, bringing me closer to him as he took my other hand in his. We continued walking down the sidewalk like that.

"So what's your plan?" he asked me as we walked. I shrugged.

"I can't think of anything this late at night," I finally admitted and he laughed before turning us around.

"Another time then," he said as we began to head back to his truck. I sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I know what I want to do next time," I told him and he looked at me.

"And what is that?"

"I want to meet your friends," I said with a grin. He gave me a look that told me he clearly thought I was crazy.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"Because they seem like a lot of fun. I want to meet them all," I said and he sighed.

"Fine, I'll agree to that if you don't complain about me taking you home early," he told me and I nodded.

"I can agree to that," I told him as we walked up to his truck. I let go of his hand and walked over to the passenger side door. He came up behind me and when I turned around I realized we were really close.

"Can I try something?" he asked me as he got a little closer. I couldn't find my voice so instead I just nodded. He took a step closer to me and tilted his face down toward mine. I closed my eyes and leaned me head up. This was it. What I had been waiting for since I dropped him off the other night. As I felt him getting closer, the anticipation in my body built up until I couldn't take it anymore. Then it happened.

It was heaven, that's really all that could describe it. Pure heaven. At first he was gentle, making sure I was still in agreement with what he was doing. Then he slid his arm behind my back, pulling me closer to him. I slid both of my arms up around his neck, pulling him even closer as the kiss deepened. His other hand wound up in my hair and I felt him moan into my mouth. This was too good to be true.

All too soon for my liking he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine as we both took a breath.

"Wow," I said, instantly feeling stupid. Instead of laughing however, Paul nodded.

"Yeah," he responded. After standing like that for another minute, catching our breaths, he leaned in to give me a quick kiss before reaching over to open my door. "C'mon, let's get you home."

* * *

_There ya go! Please read and review. Sorry about the lack of reader reviews at the beginning. I'm late for class and don't have time! haha_


	6. Chapter 5

_Okay, here's the next chapter. AND I've got time to write review responses! YAY!_

_AA1991-yeah, I wanted to try to show that they both really like each other but don't exactly know how the other feels. Kinda like real life haha. Even though Paul knows how strong imprinting is, I still thought he'd be kinda nervous. She's got such a strong hold on his life now, he's worried that she won't feel the same as he does._

_starlight5577-Yeah, I love nervous guys too haha. It shows that they really care about what happens :) And haha, nice story. That is embarassing! Oh well, he's not too related to you...haha jk. And i'm glad you like the hockey team. They won't be in it a lot but for some reason I'm obsessed with the "older brother" idea so I always try to put it in my stories. They'll play that role better a little later and I think you'll enjoy it!_

_twilightgal4life-here's another update, please don't "keel me" hahahaha_

_FutureOscarWinner94-thanks. I figured since they're technically made for each other, they would make the perfect cute couple. That's how I want to portray them anyway :D_

_eeyore-ft-tiger- I'm glad you laughed out loud at the frying pan part. I pictured that in my head before I wrote it and I was like "yeah, I could totally see her doing that" haha._

_Musik Drache- you have no clue how literally right you are lol_

_Skylar1510- thanks so much! Glad you enjoy reading it!!_

_Thank you ALL so much for the reviews! It means SOOOO much to me to see how much you're all enjoying it!!!! Without further ado, here's chapter 5:_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul was in deep. Not that he minded, just that he hadn't been there before. He had been with a fair number of girls before, all for varying amounts of time, but none had made him fall as fast as Natasha had. That was the power of the imprint.

After driving Natasha home, he drove as fast as possible to Jared's. If anyone could understand what he was going through, it was Jared. And Sam, but he wasn't about to show up at the Uleys at this hour and face the wrath of Emily.

He texted Jared to make sure he wasn't on patrol and then drove down the road to park in Jared's driveway. Jared met him at the doorway, giving him a look.

"This better be good. I kicked Kim out for you," he said and Paul nodded as he walked past Jared and into the house.

"I'm deep in this shit," Paul told him. Jared stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. "It's not funny," Paul said as he felt his arms begin to shake.

"Dude no, I know. It's just, I thought you were in big trouble," Paul shook harder.

"I am in trouble," he said and Jared quickly sobered up.

"Okay, let's sit down and talk about this," he suggested as they both walked into the small living room. Paul collapsed on the couch as Jared walked to the kitchen to grab them both drinks. He came back with two beers and handed one off to Paul. "Now tell me what exactly's wrong,"

"I've never felt this way about a girl before. I know it's all that imprint shit but still, I'm not used to feeling this way and it's scaring the shit out of me. Every minute I'm with her I feel like I'm holding myself back from doing something stupid,"

"Like...?" Jared prompted. Paul took a long swig of his beer before responding.

"Like dropping to my knee and asking her to spend the rest of her life with me," he groaned and put his head in his hands. "This is fucked up shit," he said and Jared nodded.

"Yeah but we can't help it. Just try not to freak her out. Too much too soon is not a good thing," Paul nodded as he took another long swig of his beer, finishing off the bottle. "Maybe you could talk to Kim about it, get her perspective." Paul nodded.

"That's a good idea, it would probably help. Do you think she'd be willing to do it?" Jared laughed at Paul's question as he pulled out his phone.

"Are you kidding? She'd be happy to do anything to get another girl around her. What with Emily all hormonal and Jake and Quil both following toddlers around, she'd love another girl closer to her age," Paul nodded in understanding as he got up to grab another beer from the fridge. "Hey babe!" He heard Jared say into the phone. "No listen, it's kinda funny." Paul growled and Jared stopped laughing. "Actually it's pretty serious. Paul needs some girl advice. Would you be willing to pop back over here and help him out?" Paul sat back down on the couch and stared at Jared. "I know and I'm sorry I kicked you out...no I know...No, babe please? Paul could really use some help. Why? Because if you help him, there will be another girl around here who's not aged in the single digits or about to pop her stomach. Okay see you in ten," Jared hung up the phone.

"Is she coming?" Paul asked and Jared nodded.

"Hell yes she is, this is my woman we're talking about!" Paul just sighed and took another swig.

"God help us," he said, earning a pillow to the head from Jared.

* * *

True to her word, Kim showed up roughly ten minutes later. After arguing with Jared in the doorway for another fifteen minutes, she finally walked into the living room alone.

"Where's Jared?" Paul asked as he stuck the rim of his third beer to his lips.

"He went out. You really shouldn't drink that much. You'll want to remember this conversation," Kim informed him as she sat down on the chair across from him. "Now I want you to tell me exactly what's gone on since you met Natasha."

For the next hour and a half Paul and Kim talked, Paul explaining the situation and Kim giving him a woman's insight. She gave him suggestions on what to do in the future and even told him how Natasha was probably feeling.

"If it's anything like Jared and I, and I suspect it is, she's feeling strongly about you as well. Probably not as strongly as you are because she can't imprint, but she's still feeling a pull in your direction. You really can't go wrong unless you do something really bad and I know you won't."

"But what if I do?" Paul groaned and Kim frowned at him.

"You won't. You love her. You wouldn't do anything to hurt her," she stated but he was quick to respond.

"Not intentionally! Look at Sam and Emily! He didn't mean to demolish her face! What if that happens? What if I don't mean to do something but I do?" He groaned and Kim sighed.

"Paul, I know you're known as the one with the temper and I know that makes you worried, but you love Natasha. Sure you'll have your arguments, every couple does, but all you need to do is remember who she is and how you feel about her." Paul nodded. "Is that it?" Kim asked with a smile.

"How do I tell her about all of this?" he asked.

"Well, you definitely wait a bit. Otherwise she'll be overwhelmed and that may be the wrong thing to do. Just tell her when it feels right."

"Thanks so much Kim," Paul said as they both stood up. Kim nodded.

"Anytime Paul. If you ever need more girl advice, just ask. Now get out of here so I can invite Jared back into his own home," she said and Paul laughed.

"Sounds good. I'll see you two later," and he headed out to his truck.

That night Paul didn't sleep much. Instead he lay in his bed thinking over all that had happened in the last few hours. He was so lost in thought, he jumped when his phone went off.

"Yeah?" he said quickly after he read Jake's name on the caller ID.

"We've caught a trail on the west side of the Res. This one's heading for the ocean. Could you head over there and try to cut them off? Maybe we can box 'em in and finish this," Jake said quickly into the phone. Paul jumped up from his bed and ran to the front door.

"Yeah I'll be there in five," he said before hanging up and tossing his phone into the living room as he ran through. At least this was something to keep his mind off of Natasha for a couple hours.

* * *

Eight hours later found Paul stumbling through the door. Knowing he couldn't make it to his bed, he chose instead to crash on the couch, his feet hanging off the end. They had chased the vampire all night, hoping to figure out what its plan was. Sam had alerted the Cullens who would be prepared in case it crossed into their territory but the trail had led through almost all of La Push, meaning the pack spent the entire night following the scent.

When Paul finally opened his eyes, it was dark outside. As his muscles groaned in protest of the awkward position he had slept in, he sat up from the couch and headed to the kitchen, eager for something to eat. After making a large salami sandwich, he carried the plate into the living room and sat back on the couch, turning on the TV. Glancing at the clock he realized it was already six pm. He's slept through the whole day. No wonder he was so hungry.

Picking up his phone, he flipped through the texts he'd gotten. One of them was from Quil, asking how his date with Natasha had gone. There was also one from Jared, thanking him for keeping Kim in a good mood. The remaining two were from girls he knew from school. He sighed as he hit the delete button twice. Then he scrolled through his address book until he came to Natasha's number. Sending a simple "hey," he got up to go grab himself a Coke from the fridge.

The sound of a human imitation of a howl made him roll his eyes. The noise was soon followed by Quil and Embry as they walked through his door and into the kitchen.

"What is up my brother?" Embry asked as he leaned around Paul to grab another Coke.

"Just enjoying MY food," Paul stressed as he gave in and tossed Quil a can. Then the three of them walked back to where the TV was.

"What's on?" Quil asked as they all sat down.

"49ers vs. Browns," Paul replied and both Quil and Embry laughed.

"Oh the 49ers'll win for sure!" Embry said as they all settled in to watch the game. When Paul's phone beeped, all three of them dove for it as one.

"Assholes!" Paul exclaimed as he grabbed it and leaned back so they couldn't reach it. Then he flipped it open and read the text.

'Don't normal guys wait a few days before calling?'

He laughed.

"Is it from Natasha?" Quil dragged out her name, teasing Paul about her. Embry elbowed him with a laugh.

"Maybe it is," Paul said as he typed a response.

'Technically i didn't call. How was training?'

"So what's she up to?" Embry asked with a nod to the phone.

"Hey how was the date last night?" Quil asked, ignoring Embry's previous question.

"It was good. Her dad scared the shit outta me though," Paul said and he explained all about what had happened when he showed up at her house. "He opened the door and so I was all 'I'm here to pick up Natasha' and he goes 'pick her up for what? Who the hell are you?' Then he let me in and immediately I'm surrounded by like, six guys," Quil and Embry raised their eyebrows. "Her dad's hockey team. Dealing with the protective father is tough. Dealing with the protective brother is tougher. Try dealing with the protective father and SIX protective brothers," Paul said and the two guys winced. Paul's phone went off again so he flipped it open as he continued to explain what had happened.

'Call. Text. What's the difference? Training was fine. I'm icing my ankle, we worked really hard'

Paul felt a low growl rumble in his chest.

"What's up?" Quil asked and Paul looked at him. "Why the angry growl?"

"Natasha hurt herself skating today," he said as he typed a response.

'You're not too hurt right?'

Natasha's reply was almost instant.

'Haha no, just stressed. What did you do today?'

'Haha sleep. I just woke up'

"Well go on, we want to hear what else happened," Quil said after Paul had sent his text.

"Yeah did you two mack on it?" Embry asked and he and Quil laughed at how immature the question was. When Paul didn't answer right away they laughed even harder.

"Oh man you so did!" Quil said, turning to Embry. "Pay up!" Paul frowned and clenched his fists.

"You bet on whether Natasha and I would kiss or not?" he asked and both guys smirked.

"You know us Paul. We're always up for a good bet," Embry's comment made Paul shake even more.

"Hey Paul maybe we should head outside," Quil said and the three guys headed out the door, Paul shaking even harder. They barely made it outside before Paul practically exploded in a puff of grey.

"Aw shit," Embry said as the two guys faced the wolf in front of them. "You wanna take him this time?" he asked and Quil shook his head.

"I say we head inside and let him calm down," he suggested. "Hey Paul! We're going inside. Come in when you're calm again," Quil shouted before both guys ran inside and practically slammed the door behind them.

With them gone, Paul found it easy to calm himself. Stretching his paws and arching his back, he felt a shiver travel down his spine. Then he bolted over to his truck and phased behind it, reaching through the window to grab the pair of shorts he kept stowed in the back.

"Someday, I'm gonna kill you guys," he said to Quil and Embry as he walked back into the house. Quil was lounging on the couch and Embry was sprawled out on the floor. They both glanced up at him as he walked in and collapsed on the chair.

"Someday, you're gonna get your anger management issued managed and we'll be fine," Embry told him with a laugh. Paul sighed as he reached for his phone. Sure enough, Natasha had texted him back while they had been arguing.

'Lazy! I've been up since 7'

"Are you two just gonna keep texting all night or are we gonna actually watch the game?" Quil stated suddenly and Paul sighed.

"You know, no one invited you over here," he stated as he typed out a response.

'Haha nice. Quil's complaining that i'm talking to u more than him'

"We always watch games together," Embry said as if he was reminding Paul. "Just because you're whipped now doesn't mean we can't still wa-" he was cut off by a pillow to the head.

"Hey invite her over! The Seahawks game is on at 7, she could watch with us!" Quil exclaimed suddenly. "We can invite Jared and Kim over too," he suggested and Paul thought for a second before grabbing his phone and scrolling through his contacts to call her. She answered after the first ring.

"Hey, I was just responding to your text. Is Quil really upset?" he laughed at her question.

"No, he's not really upset. Actually, he's the one that suggested..." Quil and Embry both shook their heads frantically, cutting him off. "I mean, do you want to maybe come over? Catch the

Seahawks' game on TV and meet a couple of the guys? Jared's girlfriend Kim will be here so you won't be the only girl and you said you wanted to meet them all so..." he cut off, realizing he was rambling.

"Sure, that'd be great. Let me just check with my parents," there was silence on the other end and he assumed she had gone to ask.

"Is she coming?" Embry asked and Paul pulled the phone away from his mouth.

"She's asking her parents," he told them.

"Well I just texted Jared and he said he and Kim'll be over in ten," Quil stated as he shut his phone. "Which means more like 30," he added with a scoff.

"Paul?" Natasha's voice chimed over the phone and he quickly brought it back to his face.

"Yeah?" he asked as he got up from the chair and walked into the kitchen.

"They said I can come so I'll be over there in a little bit,"

"Oh I can come get you," Paul said but she made a disagreeing noise.

"No it's okay. The game's almost starting and I don't want to make you miss any of it. I have to get ready and then I'll be over. Twenty minutes," Paul grinned.

"Twenty minutes," he repeated and they hung up the phone. Paul immediately turned to Quil and Embry. "We've got twenty minutes to clean this place up," he told them as they all started picking up old plates, dirty mugs, and half eaten pizza crusts.

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later on the dot, Paul heard a car pull into his driveway. Jared and Kim were expected any minute but he knew the sound of Jared's truck. This was Natasha.

"Be nice," he growled at Quil before heading to meet her at the door.

"I'm always nice," Quil replied from where he sat lounged sideways across the chair. Paul snorted a response as he pulled the door open.

Natasha was quickly making her way to the door, dodging snowflakes. Paul moved aside as she jogged up the steps.

"Come on in," he told her as she hurried past him. Once they were inside out of the cold, he took a look at her.

She was dressed in jeans and black leather boots. She had on a thick winter coat and had a white scarf and matching hat on.

"I'll take your coat," he told her and she unbuttoned it, handing it to him along with both her scarf and hat. She had on a pink long-sleeved shirt with buttons up the front, the sleeves practically covering her hands.

"It's snowy out there," she stated and he laughed.

"Yeah that tends to happen here in the winter," he said as they stood there awkwardly. He wanted to kiss her, but didn't know if it would be alright. The kiss last night had been special, but there had been a lead up to it. Did that mean he could kiss her whenever now? "Well come on in. Quil and Embry are watching the game. Jared and Kim'll be here any second." As he said that, a truck pulled into the driveway. "Actually, that's probably them." He led her into the living room. "Guys, this is Natasha, Natasha that's Embry, and that's Quil,"

"Hi," Natasha said softly as both guys raised their hands in greeting.

"We bring food!" Jared called as he walked through the door. Everyone turned as Jared and Kim walked into the room, both dusting snow off of themselves. "Well hello," Jared said smoothly, earning a light slap from Kim. "Ow woman!" he exclaimed.

"Natasha, that's Jared and that's Kim," Paul said and Kim walked forward, pulling Natasha into a hug.

"Oh it's so nice to finally meet you. Paul's said a lot about you and I think we're going to be good friends," Natasha looked over Kim's shoulder at Paul, who just shrugged.

"Come watch the game before we miss all of it!" Quil shouted and Jared shoved around the girls, collapsing on top of Embry on the couch.

"Do you two want anything?" Paul asked the girls but they both shook their heads.

"So tell me all about figure skating," Kim said excitedly as the two girls sat down on the floor.

* * *

Paul was slightly annoyed. For the entire first half of the game he didn't get to talk to Natasha once. Kim hogged her the whole time, asking her about figure skating, home schooling, clothes, books, movies...He had invited Natasha over for himself, not for Kim.

He understood that this was a good thing; Natasha would now feel another connection, a female connection, to the wolf pack. He just wished it would have been after he had had her to himself a little longer.

"You boys might want to watch out, it looks like your women are more interested in each other than in you," Embry whispered, causing Jared to look at the girls and Paul to frown even more.

"Hey Kim, baby, my shoulders are sore," Jared pouted. Kim sighed.

"And this is what it's like every day," she said in an annoyed, yet loving tone as she got up from the floor and went over to the couch that Jared now had to himself, Embry having relocated to sitting right in front of the TV.

All alone now, Natasha looked over at Paul, who grinned at her and got up from his seat on the arm of the couch, walking over to her.

"It's halftime, want a tour of the place?" he asked, offering her a hand up.

"Sure," she said, as she held her hand out, taking his so he could pull her up. After she was standing, he walked out of the room, not letting go of her hand.

"This is the kitchen," he told her as they walked through it.

"Nice. I take it you do a lot of cooking in here?" she asked him and he laughed.

"If by cooking you mean warming up old pizza and leftovers, then yes," he told her as he led the way down a hallway. "This is the dining room, and over there's the bathroom," he told her before opening a door. "This is a guest bedroom, right now I just use it to store stuff."

"You sure do," Natasha said with a laugh. The door could barely open, the room was so filled with papers, books, chairs, and other random objects. Paul smirked before shutting the door and opening the one next to it.

"And this is the master bedroom," he told her as they walked in. Natasha stepped into the middle of the room and looked around, taking it all in.

The walls were painted a pale navy blue, with cream colored curtains hanging over the windows. His bed, which wasn't made, had a matching comforter and pillows, which were thrown on the floor. The bookshelf and dresser on the far wall were both made of a dark mahogany which matched the door and floorboards.

Paul watched her as she looked around. He wanted her to like his room, because his room was his favorite room in the house.

"I like it," she said finally, turning to him with a smile. He heaved an internal sigh of relief as he walked forward to pull her into a hug.

"Good, because I like you," he said as he rested his chin on her forehead.

"Well that's probably a good thing," she said with a soft laugh and Paul pulled away slightly, looking down to catch her eyes with his.

"Probably," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

_Well, that's it for chapter 5!! How you all really enjoy it! Next chapter will be a slight overlap with Natasha's take on everything! Remember to hit the little button below and review!! I'd really appreciate it! I think I appreciate getting reviews more than I appreciate getting Christmas presents...and I appreciate Christmas presents** A LOT**_!


	7. Chapter 6

Wow! seven reviews last chapter!!! Awesome! I'm posting this chapter really quickly while I wait for my roommate to get out of the bathroom so I can go in and get ready for class. While I wait, here are my review responses:

_eeyore-ft-tigger-I like your imagination. It's funny. She kinda does love him forever, she just doesn't realize that's what it is. I mean, he's pulled to her and she's pulled to him, that's just how I see imprinting working._

_Skyler1510-I LOVE jealous guys! It just shows how much they care about you and how protective they are. We know Paul's protective and he loves Natasha so he's definitely going to be jealous of just about everybody haha._

_yellow unicorn- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you're loving the story! Here's an update to keep you happy and coming back for more!_

_Musik Drache- yeah, you're kinda right haha. You'll see._

_FutureOscarWinner94-Thanks. I was worried it was getting worse and worse. Thanks for renewing my confidence._

_twilightgal4life-yay! I'm updating AGAIN!! Please don't send a sugar-high Bella after me. Here's another chapter lol._

_starlight5577-I like the guys too haha. I love stories with groups of guys because they all banter off of each other and make things interesting. Plus they have no boundaries so you never know what they're gonna say haha. Here's her pov: she's definitely becoming overwhelmed haha._

* * *

NATASHA:

Although skating is fun year round, there's something about skating in the wintertime that makes me happy. Maybe it's walking from my car to the rink and having snowflakes land on my nose, or the fact that now the temperature outside is the same as in the rink.

Either way, I limped out of practice Saturday with a bounce in my step, a hard feat when your one ankle is swollen and sore. Or maybe the bounce was because of my perfect date last night.

The kiss had been wonderful bliss. There was no other way to describe it. Wonderful, utter bliss. When Paul had leaned in, I swear my heart had almost stopped beating, I was so nervous. Sure, I had kissed guys before, but Paul was something special, something I wanted to work right.

After the kiss had ended, Paul and I had gotten in the car for the long drive home. As we drove, he reached over and pulled my hand out of my lap, taking hold of it on the arm rest. We hadn't talked, just drove in a content silence. I took the time to try and calm the butterflies in my stomach.

When we had pulled up to my house, Paul had stopped the car and turned to me.

"I don't really want to give your dad a reason to kill me, so I'm going to kiss you goodnight right now, before I walk you to the door," he had told me as he leaned in for a quick kiss. I had barely even registered what he had said before the kiss ended. Then he got out of the car, walked around to open my door, and walked me to the front door. "I had fun," he told me and I nodded.

"I had a lot of fun," I told him, wondering why I suddenly felt shy. He smirked and touched my cheek.

"You're cute when you blush," he told me before letting go of my hand. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?" I shrugged.

"Sure, sounds good," I said before opening my door. "Bye," I had almost whispered before going inside and shutting the door, leaning against it to sigh.

"How was your night Natasha?" my mom's voice had startled me. I had expected everyone to be in bed already. At least the guys were gone. I don't know what I would have done if they had interrogated me about the date.

After assuring my mom that Paul was not my boyfriend, I gave her a brief summary of the night, leaving out the kissing, before heading upstairs to bed.

Saturday's practice had been uneventful. Chris and I were getting more and more comfortable now that we had a set routine to constantly practice.

"Why are you so sluggish today?" Chris had asked while Andre went to put our music in the rink's sound system.

"I was out late last night," I had answered as I adjusted the laces on my skates.

"Ooo hot date?" he asked as he skated around me. I stood up straight and put my hands on my hips.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I went on a date with Paul," Chris had almost tripped over his own skates.

"Paul? You mean ass who ran on the ice last week Paul?" he asked and I frowned.

"No I mean nice guy who ran on the ice to make sure I was okay Paul," I told him as I skated off to the middle of the rink, where we would start our routine.

"There's something I don't like about him," Chris said as he skated up behind me.

"His amazing good looks?" I offered. The music started before Chris could give me a response.

* * *

When I pulled into my driveway after practice my phone went off. Heading into the house, I flipped it open, hoping it was Paul. I wasn't disappointed. 'Hey' was all it had said, but it was such a Paul thing it made me smile. I typed a quick response, commenting on how normal guys waited a few days before calling, and then headed into the kitchen.

"Mom I need ice!" I shouted as I sat down at the kitchen table. My mom walked into the kitchen with a towel and went straight to the freezer. She knew the drill.

As she was filling the towel with ice, my phone went off, signaling another text from Paul. His smartass comment stated that technically he hadn't called. Then he asked how training had been.

"Who are you talking to?" my mom asked as she handed me the towel.

"No one," I told her as I wrapped it around my ankle. She just sighed as she walked out of the room.

"You know, you used to tell me everything," she ranted as she left. I rolled my eyes before responding to him.

'Call. Text. What's the difference? Training was fine. I'm icing my ankle, we worked really hard'

I turned to look out the window as I waited for his response. It didn't take long and of course it was a worried question. I quickly responded, telling him it was okay so he wouldn't worry. Did he really care about me that much? I tagged on a question about his day so we could stray away from my foot and then hit send.

'Haha sleep. I just woke up' was his response. I sighed as I stood up and walked up to my room, carrying the towel with me. When I was settled in my room I sent him a text calling him lazy and trying to guilt him by telling him how early I had been up.

"Hey Tash, can you put this shirt on Stacy?" Natalie asked me, walking into my room with a doll in one hand and a shirt in the other.

"Sure, come here," I told her as I took the doll and slid the shirt on, velcroing it shut. "There ya go. Are you playing dolls? Or just dress up?" I asked and she smiled.

"Dolls. Becky's over and she brought her dolls with her," she told me as she headed towards my door.

"Cool," I told her as my phone beeped again. When I read the text about Quil complaining, I instantly felt bad. Was this his way of telling me I was texting him too much? His responses had seemed animated enough, but maybe he had just meant to leave the texting with his one worded 'hey.'

Just as I was debating what to text in response, my phone suddenly rang.

"Hey I was just responding to your text. Is Quil really upset?" I asked, realizing it was Paul. He laughed.

"No, he's not really upset. Actually, he's the one that suggested..." he suddenly cut off and I pushed the phone closer to my ear, waiting to hear what Quil had suggested. "I mean, do you want to maybe come over? Catch the Seahawks' game on TV and meet a couple of the guys? Jared's girlfriend Kim will be here so you won't be the only girl and you said you wanted to meet them all so..." he stopped talking and I resisted the urge to giggle. His rambling was adorable.

"Sure, that'd be great. Let me just check with my parents," I told him as I set the phone down and walked out of my room. Going over to Paul's!? I was finally going to get to meet his friends! Did this mean he felt I was worthy to meet his friends, as in I was worthy to become a part of the group, as in I was worthy to be with him?

I found my mom in her room, right next to mine.

"Hey mom, can I go over to Paul's to watch the Seahawks' game with him and his friends?" I asked and she frowned at me.

"Hunny you don't like football," she said and I shrugged. "Well alright. Are you driving or is he picking you up?"

"I'm going to drive. I don't want to make him miss any of the game to get me. I don't mind missing some of it so it makes more sense. Besides, he shouldn't have to leave to get me, just to have to take me back again."

"Okay, be back by midnight," she told me and I smiled and thanked her before hurrying back to my room and picking up the phone.

"Paul?" I said into the phone as I held it back to my ear.

"Yeah?" he asked quickly. Obviously he had been waiting impatiently.

"They said I can come so I'll be over there in a little bit," I told him as I began to go through my closet, picking my outfit.

"Oh I can come get you," Paul said but I shook my head, then stopped when I realized he couldn't see me.

"No it's okay. The game's almost starting and I don't want to make you miss any of it. I have to get ready and then I'll be over. Twenty minutes," I said as I hurried into the bathroom to turn on my straightener and check my makeup.

"Twenty minutes," he repeated and we hung up. That gave me twenty minutes to get ready and get to his house, a twenty minute drive in itself.

I was screwed.

* * *

By some miracle of God, twenty minutes later I was pulling into Paul's drive. I really don't know how it happened because the weather was making the roads extremely bad but I was there, completely dressed and ready. Okay, I may have sped a little, but the point was that I was there, and I was decent-looking.

After parking I got out of my car and jogged to the door, the door that Paul now had open.

"Come on in," he told me, moving aside so I could walk through. "I'll take your coat," he told me so I took it off and handed it to him, all while taking him in.

He was dressed in cut-off jean shorts and a white t-shirt. It shocked me how he could still be warm in this weather. We stood there awkwardly for a minute before I felt the silence needed to be broken.

"It's snowy out there," I said. Wow, that was impressive Natasha. Keep it up. Despite my stupid comment, he laughed.

"Yeah, that tends to happen here in the winter," he told me with a smirk. Then the awkwardness ensued. I really wanted him to pull me into his arms and kiss me again. I was dying to know if it would become usual for us or if it was a one-time-thing.

On the drive over I had decided that tonight would play a big part in our...relationship. You can tell a lot about a guy when you see him around his friends. You can also tell a lot about how a guy feels about you from how he acts toward you while with his friends. So this was it, this would hopefully tell me everything, answer all my questions.

"Well come on in," he told me, breaking the silence, "Quil and Embry are watching the game. Jared and Kim'll be here any second." As he said that, a truck pulled into the driveway. "Actually, that's probably them." He said as he led me into the living room. The TV was on, showing a view of the football game. On the couch sat a tall guy with scruffy black hair. On the chair opposite him sat a guy I recognized as Quil. "Guys, this is Natasha, Natasha that's Embry, and that's Quil," he told me, pointing to each of them.

"Hi," I said softly, wondering why I sounded so shy. Yeah this was a big deal, but I needed to relax or it would be worse. Both guys raised their hands in greeting before turning back to the TV.

"We bring food!" a guy called as he walked through the door behind us. The speaker soon walked into the room, followed by a girl. When the boy caught sight of me, he paused and then grinned. "Well hello," he said in an attempt to be smooth. In response, his girlfriend slapped him on the shoulder. "Ow woman!" he exclaimed and I held in my laughter. Even though that exchange had just gone down, you could still see the love in both of their eyes.

"Natasha, that's Jared and that's Kim," Paul told me as he nodded at each. I was surprised when Kim strode forward and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh it's so nice to finally meet you. Paul's said a lot about you and I think we're going to be good friends," she told me. I looked over her shoulder at Paul, questioning what the heck was going on. I didn't even know this girl! In response to my look, Paul just shrugged. Obviously it wasn't that strange to him, and he knew Kim.

"Come watch the game before we miss all of it!" Quil shouted as Kim finally let go of me. Jared shoved both of us as he ran over to jump on top of Embry on the couch. As the two guys argued and punched each other, Paul turned to Kim and me.

"Do you two want anything?" he asked. I shook my head and looked over to see Kim do the same thing. Before Paul or I could say anything else, Kim turned to me.

"So tell me all about figure skating," she said excitedly, pulling me down to sit with her on the floor.

"Uh, well it's a lot of fun..." I said, not entirely sure what she was asking. She laughed.

"Oh I bet. How long have you been skating?" she asked and I knew I was in for a drilling.

* * *

Just as I had expected, Kim asked me question after question. When skating had been wrung dry, we turned to talking about the fact that I was home schooled."It's cool and all, but I couldn't stand not hearing school gossip," Kim had said.

After that we moved onto clothes, then books, movies, what we did in our spare time, and what music we were currently listening to.

It was fun to talk to Kim but I was starting to feel a little down. I had come here to visit Paul and he was ignoring me. This was not how I planned the night going.

"You know," Kim said suddenly. "Paul is going to be so pissed at me for hogging you," she told me and I looked at her with a frown.

"Huh?" I asked very unattractively and Kim laughed.

"Paul really likes you. Believe me, he does. I'm sure right now he's running ideas through his head on how to get you away from me," I laughed unbelievingly as I glanced over at Paul. "He deserves to suffer a little bit. He shouldn't be allowed to get whatever he wants whenever he wants it. Make him suffer," she told me and I instantly knew Kim and I would be good friends.

"How do you know Paul likes me? I mean, I know he's interested and everything but...I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into things," and I launched into the story of our kiss and how we hadn't kissed since and how I didn't know where we were going from here.

"Natasha, listen to me. I know Paul. Jared knows Paul. We both have been talking about the two of you. I can see the way he looks at you, and you should hear the way he talks about you. He likes you, believe me," although she was saying in sincerely, I felt like she was leaving something out, as if there was more to it than what she had said.

"But what about the kiss?"

"Have you thought that maybe he's wondering the same thing? What if he's over there worrying that he can't kiss you again because you may not feel as strongly about him as he does?"

Her question caught me off guard. I had been so busy thinking about myself and worrying about what I was thinking that I hadn't stopped to think about what Paul was going through in this situation. Maybe he was as stuck as I was. What if he was stuck worse?

"Hey Kim, baby, my shoulders are sore," Jared suddenly called out, pouting. Next to me, Kim sighed.

"And this is what it's like every day," she said in a tone that told me she may be annoyed, but she still loved Jared more than anything. At some point Embry had relocated to the floor, giving Jared the couch all to himself. Kim walked over and sat down on it behind him, beginning to massage his shoulders. I smiled. They were so cute together. That was what I wanted.

I looked over at Paul, only to blush when I found him looking back at me. He grinned and got up from where he was sitting to walk over.

"It's a commercial, want a tour of the place?" He asked me as he held out his hand. I took it, pulling myself up from the ground.

"Sure," I told him as he turned and walked out of the room, still holding onto my hand. I turned around to look at Kim. She grinned and gave me a wink and a thumbs up.

"This is the kitchen," Paul told me as we walked through it. It was simple. Simple, plain, and it suited the bachelor in Paul just fine. I laughed at the idea of him spending any amount of time in here. Any amount that took longer than taking something out of the fridge.

"Nice," I said, still looking around. "So I take it you do a lot of cooking in here?" I asked him and he laughed.

"If by cooking you mean warming up old pizza and leftovers, then yes," he told me as he pulled my hand down a hallway. "This is the dining room, and over there's the bathroom," he continued the tour as we walked past the places.

When we got to the end of the hallway we came to two doors. He opened the one on the left first, practically shoving it open because of everything jammed in behind it.

"This is a guest bedroom. Right now I just use it to store stuff," he told me and I laughed.

"You sure do," I said as I peeked around the door to see all the random stuff he had stored inside. He smirked at my comment before shutting the door and opening the one on the right.

"And this is the master bedroom," he stated, leading me inside. I let go of his hand as I walked into the middle of the room, doing a 360 to take it all in.

It was nice and comfortable and it fit Paul well. All the colors had an Earthy, manly feel to them, definitely a Paul thing. Standing there, I suddenly felt at ease. As if this room was able to confirm just how good Paul was for me.

Realizing that Paul was watching me intently, I turned to him with a smile.

"I like it," I told him, smiling wider as he suddenly looked relieved and happy. He walked forward and pulled me into a hug, holding me tight and resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Good, because I like you," he told me and it took all of my strength to hold in a shriek of joy. I am such a preteen. A guy tells me he likes me, likes not loves, and I practically have to hold myself in from exploding.

"Well that's probably a good thing," I said, laughing my shy, awkward laugh. Way to go Natasha, I thought to myself. Paul pulled away from my slightly and I internally freaked. Was it too much for him?

He caught my eyes with his, giving a soft smile.

"Probably," he said, repeating the word I had just stated. Then he leaned down and kissed me.

This kiss was even better than last night, better now that he had told me he liked me, now that Kim had confirmed it was true. I didn't feel any hesitation as I took his shirt in my hands, pulling me closer to him. He chuckled against my mouth as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer as well.

There's something intimate about kissing in a bedroom with a bed right next to you, even if you're not kissing on the bed. Just knowing that we were so close to where intimate things usually occurred made the kiss so much more.

"How long can you stay?" Paul asked as he broke away from my and leaned down even farther to kiss my jaw line.

"Uh, I have to be home by midnight so I guess 11:40ish," I told him, trying to concentrate on what I was saying over what he was doing.

"Good. The game'll be over by ten so I can kick everybody out. I want some alone time for us," he told me and I giggled.

"Isn't that what we're getting right now?" I asked him and he pulled away, giving me an unamused look. "Sorry," I said, unable to hide my smile.

"I really shouldn't have invited Jared and Kim," he told me as we stood there holding each other.

"Why not? I like Kim," I told him and he sighed.

"Yeah I know, and Kim likes you. That's the problem. She hogged you the whole first half of the game," he said and now I laughed.

"Are you jealous of a girl?" I asked and now it was his turn to blush. It was probably the cutest thing I had ever seen and it made me want to hug him tighter.

"No," he said in a tone that told me he was lying.

"Oh okay, then I'm gonna head back out there. Maybe she's done giving Jared a back massage and we can chat more," I let go of him and started for the door but he growled and pulled me back. The growl scared me so I didn't fight him and instead of stopping where he was I fell back on the bed.

I lay there, staring at him with wide eyes. He had growled. Was he really that mad? As I watched him, his whole body shook and his fists clenched tight.

"Paul," I said softly, ready to apologize for my bad joke. He closed his eyes and stood there, as if he was meditating. Slowly, his shaking subsided and he unclenched his fists. "Paul?" I questioned again, wondering if I should even be talking at all.

"Sorry," he finally said as he opened his eyes and walked forward, collapsing next to me face down. He put his arm out and pulled me to him, resting his head on my stomach. I didn't exactly know what to do so I just lay there, letting him nuzzle his face into my stomach. "Natasha?" he said suddenly, lifting his head up to look at me.

"Yeah?" I asked, still trying to calm my nerves.

"Sorry," he said again. "I didn't mean to scare you...or hurt you. God did I hurt you?" I shook my head. "Okay. You'd tell me right? If I ever hurt you, or scare you, or anything; you'll tell me?" I nodded my head and he lowered his head back to my stomach in a way that seemed like he was relieved. "I told you I have anger management issues," he said, muffled into my stomach. I smiled, lifting my hands to run my fingers through his hair. He moaned and pulled me tighter to him.

"It's okay," I told him, knowing those two words would help ease him slightly. He sighed and pulled me even closer.

"This is nice," he said. Then I felt his mouth turn into a grin as he lifted his face to look me in the eyes. "Hey Natasha, baby, my shoulders are sore," he said, quoting what Jared had said to Kim earlier. I rolled my eyes and shoved him, smiling. In response he pulled me closer, beginning to tickle my sides.

"No, no, NO! Stop! Paul stop! No!" I shrieked as I laughed uncontrollably. I am probably one of the most ticklish people ever and his fingers were able to find all my most ticklish spots. "Paul!" I shrieked as we both rolled and fell off the bed. He immediately stopped and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly and I nodded, still laughing. "Good," he said as he leaned down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. After a couple minutes though, he broke the kiss. "We should probably get back out there before they wonder what happened to us," he told me as he helped me up. "Of course, they probably all can take a good guess anyway." I blushed at his comment.

"Well that's embarrassing," I said softly and he laughed.

"Nah, I tease them about it all the time. About time I got some beef for it too I guess," he said as he took my hand and lead me back out of his room, down the hall, and through the kitchen into the living room where everyone was still sitting, watching the game.

"There you guys are," Quil said as we walked into the room.

"Yeah, about time you two showed up. We were about to send the dogs out looking," Embry stated and all four guys (including Paul) laughed at his statement. Everyone was where we had left them, except now Kim was snuggled into Jared's lap. Paul walked over to the foot of the couch and sat down, leaning his back up against it and pulling me down with it. I settled to sit on the ground between his legs and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer.

"How are we doing?" Paul asked as we turned our attention to the game.

"Seahawks are up 20 to 14," Embry said. His comment was drowned out, however, by a cheer from Jared and Quil. Apparently the Seahawks had done something good.

"Intercepted!" Jared shouted as Quil and Embry high-fived.

"We are definitely winning this game," Quil stated as he stood up and went into the kitchen. "Hey Paul! Do you have and Diet Coke?" he asked.

"Why don't you go drink your own damn Coke?" Paul shouted back and Quil laughed as he walked back in the room, opening a can of Diet Pepsi as he did.

"Because yours are so much closer," he stated and I felt Paul begin to shake again. Taking hold of his arms, I began to draw soft circles on them, leaning back more against his chest. His shaking slowed down and he nestled his face into my hair, kissing me on the shoulder.

"Aw man, Natasha you're gonna take the fun out of everything!" Embry stated and I looked up at him with a frown. "We love making Paul angry. We can't do that if you're gonna go and calm him down every time," he stated and I felt Paul begin to shake, this time not as much as before. I continued to draw the circles on his arms, rubbing my hands up and down them.

"Sorry," I told Embry and I felt Paul chuckle.

"Eh, whatever. You won't be around him all the time," Embry stated as he sat down. Quil looked at us with a smirk.

"Or will she?" he asked and I felt Paul sigh.

"Can we go back to watching the game?" he asked harshly, shutting both Quil and Embry up. Then he tightened his arms around me, snuggling his face closer to mine. "Sorry," he whispered in my ear before kissing me on the neck. Unable to voice a response, I just nodded and settled deeper into his embrace.

* * *

_Ta-Da!!!!! Hope you all liked it! Hey, I've got 35 people who've alerted this story. I'm just making a random statement but if all of those 35 alert-ers (haha) reviewed, that would be a TON of reviews. Wouldn't that be cool!? Just sayin._

_Hope this chapter was good! You got to see a little of what she thought of all the guys! Hopefully she doesn't get too overwhelmed by everything!! I'll update soon but until then, read and review!!!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Wow. I am impressed with myself for getting this out on time. I have been having a SUPER stressful week. I spent NINE hours in the newspaper office today trying to layout/edit/etc the issue for this week. Talk about hectic!_

_Anyway, on to review responses:_

_Larocho1-Thanks! I'm glad you love my writing style. Sometimes I think it's kinda crappy so it's nice to hear people like it! Yeah, him scaring her sucks but I mean, he IS known for getting angry really easily. Don't worry, it'll get better haha._

_Skyler1510-Yes, Paul will always be extremely jealous. He's just one of those guys haha. And yeah, I liked the calming thing too. I just figured, if you got angry easily and there was one thing that could calm you down, wouldn't it be the presence of your imprint?_

_eeyore-ft-tigger-He'll tell her...eventually. And don't worry, Collin will NOT die haha. I like your imagination haha._

_Starlight5577-I haven't fully decided if I want Chris to like her or not. Sometimes when I write their scenes I do, then I immediately change my mind. I think he's just kinda like her best guy friend. I mean, they spend SO MUCH time together so I feel like he would be really close to her. Yeah, besides the hockey team she doesn't really have many friends, and def no girl friends. Kim is a breath of fresh air for her haha._

_twilightgal4life-Thanks for not sending a sugar high Bella. I'd also like if you didn't send Rosalie after me either. She scares me a TON!_

_Musik Drache, Rachel, and Fairy Skull- Thanks for reviewing!! Hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Not soon enough for Paul, the game ended. As soon as the first commercial came on he shut the TV off and practically shoved everyone out the door.

"Not in any kind of hurry are you Paul?" Embry had teased. In response Paul had shoved him straight into the snow.

In the living room, Kim and Natasha were exchanging phone numbers.

"Call me or text me for anything, even if it's just to say hey. I need another girl around here to help me put up with these bozos," Kim said with a laugh. "Maybe you and I can even do something, go see a movie or go shopping or whatever. Have a girls' night."

"Yeah, that sounds fun. I don't really have a lot of friends who are girls," Paul heard Natasha say. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Well with Kim, you'll never need another girl friend ever," he said with a smirk. Kim rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Thanks for inviting me over Paul. It was nice meeting you Natasha."

"You too," Natasha said as Kim followed Jared out the door.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Jared shouted at them before closing the door behind them. As soon as the door was completely shut, Natasha turned to Paul and started laughing.

"What?" He asked as he went up to the door and locked it.

"Your friends are ridiculous," she told him and he grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. Kinda annoying too. But they're like my brothers," he said as he walked into the kitchen. Natasha followed him, pulling herself up to sit on the counter.

"Well that's cute. You guys are like, besties," she said with a laugh and he rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, a wolf howled somewhere out in the woods, causing Natasha to jump.

"Did you hear that?" she asked him frantically and Paul laughed.

"It was just a wolf Natasha. We're fine," he assured her as he walked up to her, sliding between her legs. Because of the height of the counter she was sitting on, they were now almost the same height. He set his hands on either side of her on the counter and leaned in. Natasha grinned as she leaned toward him and kissed him, wrapping her arms up so her hands could play in his hair. Paul moaned against her mouth and let loose a calmer, more seduced kind of growl. Then he moved his hands to slide underneath Natasha, lifting her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Luckily for Paul he knew his house like the back of his hand. He led them through the hallway and into his room, never breaking the kiss. He lowered Natasha onto his bed and gently settled down with her, pulling her closer. When the kiss broke, they both looked at each other, breathing heavily.

"Hi," Natasha whispered softly. Paul grinned, then started to laugh. "What?" she asked him, frowning slightly.

"Nothing. It's just a funny thing to say is all," he said as he nestled his face into her hair, kissing her neck. "I like this," he told her and she smiled.

"Well I like it too," she said and he lifted his head to look at her.

"Good," he said and they both grinned. Then his grin went away. "I really like you Natasha," he stated, suddenly serious. Natasha, confused by his change in attitude, frowned.

"I like you too," she told him and he sighed.

"No I mean...argh okay," he said, calming himself to tell her this very important statement. "I know we've only known each other for a week, but I feel this connection," she nodded. "And I know that it's weird, but I've never felt this way about a girl before. Sure, I've been with girls before, I've dated a few in my time," he said, suddenly grinning. Natasha rolled her eyes. "But I just want you to know, if I'm acting over protective, or over possessive, or anything like that, it's because I really like you, and I don't want to lose you." Natasha nodded.

"You won't lose me, not for a while," she said as she kissed him on the nose. He smirked and pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her lips. Then she pulled away suddenly. "This isn't something you're saying to try and get in my pants is it?" she asked him and he looked at her in shock. The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Sure it had crossed his mind a ton ever since he met her, but he hadn't been thinking of it when he had made his last statement.

"No, not at all," he said and she gave him a look that told him he better be telling the truth. "I mean, sure I've thought about it, but that's not why I stated it. I don't care if we never do anything like that, I am perfectly fine just kissing you like this," he said. It was true. Kissing Natasha was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He had kissed lots of girls in his time but none of them could come close to comparison.

"As long as you're sure..."Natasha said, sounding as if she wasn't sure. He nodded.

"100%. If I ever do something you're not comfortable with, anything you're not ready for, tell me and I'm done. I would never do anything you didn't want," he wished she would believe him.

"I'm uncomfortable lying on your bed," she said and he looked at her for a second before sitting up, trying to help her up as well. In response she burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding!" she said as she pulled him back down with her. "This is comfy," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her arm as they just lay there. "What's your favorite color?" she asked randomly.

"Green," he told her without hesitation. She picked her head up, holding it up with her hand as she looked at him.

"Do you answer that question a lot?" she asked with a chuckle. He shook his head.

"No. I just know what my favorite color is. What's yours?"

"Um, pink," she said and now he laughed. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just such a typical girl color." Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that was what you liked about me; that I was a girl."

"A very pretty girl," he added before pulling her in for a kiss.

The kiss didn't last long however, before Natasha's phone started going off. Jumping up from the bed, she pulled it out of her pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she said as she sat back down. With Paul's hearing, thanks to being a wolf, he was able to overhear the entire conversation. He felt a little guilty listening in, but he wanted to know who was calling her at this hour and why.

"Natasha hunny, are you still at Paul's?" her mom's worried voice asked.

"Yeah mom, why?"

"Have you checked the weather outside? It's getting worse. Your father and I are worried about you driving home in this," Natasha sighed and pulled the phone away to turn to Paul.

"My parents are concerned about me driving home in this weather," she told him.

"I can drive you home. Then tomorrow the guys and I can drive your car over or something," he offered, hoping he could drive her home. Even that much more time together would be great.

"Mom, Paul said he can drive me home," she said into the phone.

"Let me tell your father," her mom said and Natasha turned to Paul again.

"She's telling my dad," she told him and he nodded, scooting over to her and wrapping his arms around. Touching her in any way made him feel at ease, less nervous and more comfortable.

"Natasha?" her mom said when she came back on the phone. "I just talked to your father. He's watching the news and they're saying that the roads aren't plowed. They're telling people not to drive unless they absolutely have to." Natasha frowned.

"Then how am I supposed to get home?" she asked, looking at Paul.

"Well, oh we really don't want to do this..." her mom said, trailing off."I mean, it's completely inappropriate but given the circumstances..."

"What mom?" Natasha asked forcefully.

"Well...does Paul have a couch? Or an extra bed or something? We only ask because we don't want you to get into an accident in this weather," her mom said quickly and Natasha looked up at Paul quickly.

"They're wondering-"

"Yeah I heard. Yeah it's fine. I can sleep on the couch or we could plow through the junk in the guest bedroom to the bed," he told her and she nodded.

"He said it's fine, I can stay here. He's got a guest bedroom so I'll be fine." Her mom made a noise of agreement.

"What do his parents say?" her mom asked and Natasha made a face and put her hand over the phone.

"What do I say?" she asked and he sighed.

"Well you can't lie because she'll find out eventually," he told her and she took a deep breath before going back to the phone.

"Uh, Paul lives by himself mom. He doesn't live with his parents," she said calmly. The other end of the phone was silent for a while.

"Oh," was all her mom said.

"But mom I promise we'll be completely good. You can call me every ten minutes if you want. I'll even go sleep in my car with the heat on if you'd prefer that..."

"Natasha of course we wouldn't prefer that. I just wish we'd known there was no adult supervision tonight at his house," Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Mom he's old enough to not need adult supervision. Besides, you can trust me to be smart."

"I know that, I just don't trust young men," her mom paused before continuing. "Alright, you stay there tonight and then come home tomorrow after they've cleared off the roads a bit."

"Okay mom, thanks," Natasha said. Both women said their goodbyes and the call ended.

"So you're staying here tonight," Paul said and Natasha nodded. "I better go set up the couch for me to sleep on," he said as he went to stand up. Natasha grabbed his hand.

"Don't be stupid. You're too tall to lie across the couch comfortably. I can sleep practically everywhere, I get the couch," she told him. A small argument ensued, an argument which Natasha eventually won; only because Paul would give Natasha anything she wanted.

Just as they were grabbing blankets and an extra pillow, Natasha's phone went off again.

"Now what?" she said under her breath as she flipped it open. "Hello?" she asked and from across the room Paul could hear the deep tones of her father's voice. "Seriously dad?" Natasha asked before sighing. "Alright fine, let me get him," she turned to Paul and walked over, holding the phone out. "My dad wants to talk to you," she told him as she handed the phone over. Paul gulped before taking the phone and putting it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he said in what he hoped was a strong tone.

"Hello Paul, it's Mr. Bascov," he said and Paul nodded.

"Hello Sir, what can I do for you?" he asked, hoping he sounded polite. He didn't want to offend Natasha's father.

"I just wanted to set a few ground rules for tonight," he said. Paul walked into the other room, letting Natasha set up the couch while he talked to her dad. "I know Natasha will probably say I'm being overprotective but she is my little girl and I care about her,"

"That's understandable sir and I can assure you I will take care of your daughter," Paul said.

"I don't entirely approve of this situation, her sleeping over at your house, but it seems we have no choice because of the weather. I also don't approve of this because of the lack of parental supervision."

"I understand Sir," Paul said as he walked into his room and grabbed a pair of boxers and one of his t-shirts out of his dresser. "But I promise nothing will happen to Natasha while she's here. You can give us any rules and I promise they will be followed completely," he stated, walking back into the living room and tossing the clothes to Natasha. "Pajamas," he mouthed to her and she nodded.

"Bathroom," she mouthed back as she walked past him, carrying the clothes with her. Paul turned back to the phone call.

"Paul, I am going to trust you tonight. It's a big deal, a father trusting a guy he barely knows with his daughter. But man to man, I am going to trust you. And I'm going to trust my daughter. Now, Natasha said you have a couch?"

"Yes sir, I have a couch, as well as a spare bed in my guest bedroom but Natasha is insisting she sleep on the couch. I argued and told her I'd take the couch but she's insisting," he rambled, hoping everything he said sounded good to her father.

"Alright, that's good. Well, that's it I guess. Can I talk to Natasha again?" Paul mentally cursed as he looked around.

"Uh, I think she actually just stepped into the bathroom. I can go tell her to call you back when she's out," he said but her dad made a noise of disagreement.

"No that's okay. Just make sure Natasha calls us before she heads home tomorrow morning."

"Alright sir, I can do that. And thank you sir, for trusting me."

"Don't disappoint me Paul," her dad said firmly.

"No sir," Paul said, hoping he didn't sound too nervous. He was a wolf for goodness sake! He could handle everything! But Natasha's dad? He was scared stiff. He couldn't do anything out of line for fear of ruining that relationship.

"Good. Well, goodnight."

The conversation ended and Paul hung up the phone, just as he heard the bathroom door open. Looking up, he watched as Natasha slowly walked into the room, dressed in his clothes. He grinned and walked forward, putting his hands on her hips.

"I like how you look in my clothes," he told her and she blushed, making him grin wider. "Now come on, bedtime. Your dad is trusting me to take care of you and I don't want to give him any reason to not like me," Natasha nodded as she walked over to the couch and curled up in the blankets.

"Comfy," she said as she patted the pillow. Paul frowned.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"It's your bed, you can have it," she told him and he sighed.

"Alright," he said as he leaned down to kiss her goodnight. The kiss lasted longer than he planned as she put her hand behind his head and pulled him closer. The kiss finally broke and they both smiled at each other.

"Night," Natasha said softly and Paul smiled.

"Goodnight," he told her before turning and walking out of the room.

Once in his room, he pulled off his shirt and changed into gym shorts before collapsing on his bed. Today had been a rough day. It had started off with chasing the bloodsucker all over the coast of Washington the previous night. Sam had contacted the Cullens and none of them were expecting company. Already two people had gone missing and the pack knew it was only a matter of time before people really started to notice. They didn't need the wolves to be blamed again.

Chasing the bloodsucker had relaxed Paul. It had pulled him into a trance, a pattern of something he was used to. He didn't need to think when he was chasing a vampire, something which definitely came in handy since the rest of the pack could hear your thoughts when you phased. Natasha hadn't even crossed his mind as he had been running. All the mattered was the wind flowing through his fur and bringing down this trespasser.

Of course, now he couldn't get her out of his mind. Everything that happened, everything he did, he thought of her. It was almost as if his brain had created a separate place for her. Even if his mind got too occupied with other thoughts, there was still room for her to push to the front of his head. No matter what he did, she was always floating there, as if watching him.

Not that he really cared. He loved Natasha. He would love Natasha until he died; and he would do everything in his power to make sure she felt the same way.

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_There ya go! Chapter 7!! Remember to read and review! It would mean so much to me! I can't believe I already have 42 reviews!!!! It means so much to me and I enjoy reading each and every review I get. Thanks soooo much guys!!!!!!!!!_


	9. Chapter 8

_So I meant to have this chapter up like, Friday but for some reason every time I tried to upload the document, FanFiction would get mad at me and tell me it couldn't be uploaded. So yeah, sorry for the delay. Hope you all enjoy!!!!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**-I can't tell you anything. It'll give it all away. I really love your imagination haha. It's making my story sound so lame in comparison haha._

_**Larocho1**-Glad you liked the chapter. About him 'gently' trying to tell her about imprinting...well, I wouldn't say Paul's a very gentle person...you'll see. And yeah, I didn't know how I felt about having her stay over but my hands had a mind of their own and proceeded to type the whole thing out. It's almost happened to me before (when I was 14) so I guess in my mind I wasn't too shocked haha._

_**jblc77**-I'm glad my story's going on your favorites! YAY!_

_**Musik Drache**-Yeah. I didn't want her dad to be super hardcore protective to the point of being obnoxious but I think almost every dad would feel worried about their daughter in this kind of situation. Especially with Paul being as old as he is and there being no parental supervision around._

_**Princisco**-Thanks, I was worried about how I portrayed Paul. It's really hard in a fanfic because they way I want him might not necessarily be the way everyone else sees him from the books and the movie. I'm glad you like how I describe him._

_**twilightgal4life**-PLEASE don't send Jane. And if you absolutely must, please don't send her with a chainsaw. That's like, super scary! Chainsaws always scare me with the blades spinning haha. Here's your update! Sorry it took so long!_

_**sianybox**-yeah, I wanted Paul to seem nervous on the phone because well, it's Natasha's dad. Since she's the love of his life, he wants to do everything right and he obviously has to stay on her dad's good side. It's cute to see him all nervous and gentlemanly though haha_

_**starlight5577**-I REALLY LOVE HOW YOUR WHOLE COMMENT WAS IN CAPS. I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE KISSING SCENE IN THE KITCHEN. I WANTED TO MAKE IT HOT AND INNOCENT AT THE SAME TIME SO I HOPE IT SEEMED THAT WAY. IDK WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE VAMPIRE KILLINGS, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT AND FIND OUT :D_

_**Fairy Skull**, **TeamPaul15**, **Kishasho123**-Thank you guys for reviewing!_

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NATASHA:

Sometimes life throws unexpected events at you that show that somebody's looking out for you. I hadn't even thought about the weather when I was driving over here, or when I was hanging out here. It hadn't been that bad when I left or I know my parents would have questioned letting me come here at all. When I was cozy in Paul's house, cuddling with him and chatting with his friends, it hadn't crossed my mind at all.

So when my mom called to tell me the roads were bad I realized that maybe something greater was at work here. Maybe this meant that Paul and I were supposed to spend more time together. Maybe this was important for the rest of our...relationship.

Needless to say, my father wasn't too pleased with the situation. He asked to talk to Paul, something which I found completely embarrassing. So while Paul talked (aka listened) to my dad, I took the clothes Paul had offered me and changed in the bathroom.

He had given me a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt. While the boxers had elastic, making them fit me loosely, the t-shirt was very baggy, almost covering the boxers completely. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun before checking myself out in the mirror. I had to make sure nothing was in my teeth and that my makeup still looked okay.

Mostly I was just stalling so I wouldn't have to listen to my father lecture Paul on how to be responsible or whatever.

Finally deciding I couldn't stall any longer, I opened the bathroom door and walked out slowly, looking to see if he was still on the phone. Instead I found him walked toward me with a grin on his face.

"I like how you look in my clothes," he told me as he put his hands on my hips. I could feel myself blush at his comment. We weren't officially dating yet but this felt like so much more. It felt more mature, more real than a simple boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. I liked it.

While my mind wandered over these thoughts, Paul continued talking.

"Now come on, bedtime. Your dad is trusting me to take care of you and I don't want to give him any reason to not like me," he said and I nodded. Then I walked over to the couch and lay down, curling up in the blankets.

"Comfy," I told him with a smile as I patted the pillow. Instead of smiling back, Paul frowned.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" he asked me but I shook my head, standing firm in my decision.

"It's your bed, you can have it," I told him. In response he sighed and I knew he wouldn't argue any more.

"Alright," he told me, leaning down to kiss me goodnight. As soon as our lips were locked, I lifted my hand up and put it behind his head, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling him closer.

Not long enough after, the kiss broke and he stood back up, smiling at me.

"Night," I said softly, out of breath from the kiss. He smiled wider.

"Goodnight," he said before walking out of the room and hitting the light.

All alone now, I curled up in the fetal position, pulling the blankets tighter around me. I had never slept on someone else's couch alone in a room before. I would have thought it would be scary but instead I was filled with a sense of calm. I knew Paul was right down the hall and he would never let anything happen to me here.

Snuggling my face into the pillow, I breathed in the musky scent, letting it fill my nostrils. It was Paul's scent, there was no other way to describe it. A little pine, a woodsy smell. Masculine. It was comforting to be surrounded by it, almost as if Paul was there with me.

I don't remember exactly when I drifted off to sleep but I was harshly woken from my slumber by a noise. Not recognizing what it was, I sighed and curled on my side, preparing to drift off again. Then I heard it.

A wolf.

It was so close, I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the woods right outside Paul's house. The call sounded again and was joined by another, then another. Gasping, I snuggled in tighter to the blankets. My mind whirred with different options, the most potent being to run into Paul's room and hide under his covers. When the howling happened again, this time by four different wolves, I jumped off the couch and tore down the hall, glad Paul's door was open.

Running inside, I jumped on his bed, practically taking him out in the process.

"What the fuck?" Paul asked groggily as he sat up quickly. He obviously hadn't been awoken by the wolves. "Natasha? What's wrong?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes, suddenly alert.

"There are wolves right outside and they're terrifying me," I told him in a harsh whisper. As if to confirm what I had said, two wolves howled again. I shrieked and buried my face in his chest. I frowned when I heard him laugh.

"It's okay, they're harmless," he told me as he brought his hand up to rub my arm. "You're safe here," he said and I nodded, not removing my face from his chest. Although it was cold outside and his house was slightly drafty, as soon as he held me close I felt very warm and toasty. It felt nice. We sat like that for a few minutes, me relaxing in his presence as he attempted to calm me. When I finally felt better, I leaned away from him and we locked eyes. "Better?" he asked me.

"Mhm," I said with a nod.

"Come on, back to the couch," he started to stand up but I stopped him.

"No! What if they come back again? Their howls are so scary," I said and he laughed again as he kissed the top of my head.

"I promise you'll be fine," he said but I was still not convinced. Knowing my luck, as soon as I got back to the couch those wolves would howl and I would be right back in here again.

"Can I stay in here with you?" I asked him and his smile went away with a sigh. "I promise my parents won't find out. I'm terrified to go back out there and listen to those wolves again," I told him and he nodded before standing up. I didn't mention that the idea of snuggling up with him was a nice idea too.

"Fine, fine. But if your dad finds out he'll probably kill me so make sure he doesn't," he said and I nodded, frowning at why he was walking to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked and he nodded his head out the doorway.

"To make a phone call. I'll be right back," he said in a reassuring way before disappearing down the hall. I curled up in his bed, laying my head back on one of the pillows as I tried to relax myself. The wolves couldn't get me and I would be perfectly fine here with Paul.

After I was relaxed enough to get my mind off of the wolves, I realized I needed to use the bathroom. Hoping up from the bed, I tiptoed out the door, not wanting to disturb Paul's phone call. As I walked to the bathroom however, I couldn't help but overhear the conversation going on on the phone.

"...have to patrol so close? Fine, well tell them to keep it down then. Natasha's terrified they're gonna come in the house. I will. Night Sam," Paul hung up the phone and glanced at me eavesdropping. I gasped and hurried down the hall. "Where are you off to?" Paul called and I turned to him sheepishly.

"Bathroom," I said before hurrying in and shutting the door.

Who had Paul been talking to? And how could this Sam be able to quiet the wolves? Confused by all this, I finished up in the bathroom and hurried back to Paul's room, not thrilled about being alone if the wolves howled again.

Paul was already back in bed when I came in so I crawled in next to him and snuggled close as he wrapped his arm around me. I immediately felt warm again. For some reason Paul's body heat was extremely warm. It felt nice to cuddle with on such a cold night.

"Better?" he asked and I nodded, resting my head on his chest as he stroked my side. "Good. Although I think they stopped howling," he said and I pushed myself up on my elbows to look at him.

"Who were you on the phone with?" I asked.

"My friend Sam. I called him to check what was up with the wolves," he told me and I smiled.

"And was Sam happy that you called him at..." I glanced at the clock. "Three in the morning?" I asked and he smirked as he pulled me into a deep kiss.

All conversation was pretty much lost after that. Our limbs tangled together as we began a deep makeout session, one that couples would enjoy as they drifted off to bed together.

Couples.

"Hey Paul?" I asked as I pulled myself away from him, trying not to smirk at how put out he seemed by the separation.

"Yeah?" he asked as he instead attached his mouth to my neck, clutching my waist so tightly I was sure I would have fingerprint bruises.

"What are we doing?" I asked him and he pulled away to look at me with a grin.

"Well, people usually call this making out..." he started but I punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Ow!" he said dramatically as he acted hurt. I sighed.

"You know what I mean," I said, trying to stay serious. This was a serious conversation and I didn't want the topic to be changed, whether he tried his hardest or not to do so. He stopped faking injury and looked at me seriously.

"We're doing whatever you want us to be doing," he told me. When I started to ask him what the hell that was supposed to mean, he cut me off with a finger to my lips. "If you want us to be friends, we'll be friends. If you want us to date, we'll date. Hell, if you want us to get married, I'll drive you to the nearest courthouse right now."

The last part of his statement caught me off guard. Married? That was a little far wasn't it?

But then I thought back to what I had been thinking on the couch. This did feel like more than simple dating. The connection I felt between us was much stronger than that. I definitely wasn't ready for the 'm' word though. Marriage at my age was way too scary to even contemplate.

"Dating," I said quickly and he looked at me deeply. "I mean, if it's okay with you..." I added shyly and he grinned and pulled me to him.

"Of course it's okay with me. I want nothing more in the world," he told me as he kissed me.

Now that we were 'official' the kiss felt even more intense, if that were even possible. It was our first kiss with Paul as my boyfriend. It felt good. It made me feel complete, like this is what my life had been leading up to; this point in time when Paul became my official boyfriend and I became his official girlfriend.

When the kiss broke again, we settled back into the bed and he pulled me against him.

"You know I'm glad you didn't say you wanted to get married," he stated and I looked up at him, confused. I met his eyes and he grinned at me. "Because then I'd have to drive you to the nearest courthouse and I really don't want to drive in this weather," he finished with a laugh and I shoved him. His response was to pull me closer and kiss the top of my head. "Okay, time to sleep," he said and I nestled into the crook in his arm, finding myself already drifting off to sleep.

As my mind began to wander to dreamland, I swore I heard Paul whisper three words, three of the most important words a couple could say to each other. But I knew I was just dreaming. There was no way Paul had told me he loved me. No way at all.

In the morning I woke to the sun streaming in through a rip in Paul's curtains. Yawning, I turned to look at Paul, only to find his side of the bed empty. Frowning, I looked around the room before beginning to climb out of bed. Feeling the cold air surround me, I grabbed one of the blankets off the bed and wrapped it around me as I walked out of the room.

As I got into the hallway, the smell of bacon wafted to my nose. Following the smell, I came upon Paul in the kitchen, running around with a frying pan in one hand and a plate of bacon in the other. I frowned when I noticed the large tattoo on his shoulder. I had never noticed that before. Shaking that from my head, I made my presence known.

"Morning," I said with a smile as I walked into the kitchen. Paul jumped and looked at me with a groan.

"This was supposed to be breakfast in bed!" he said exasperatedly as he set the frying pan down on the stove and the plate of eggs on the counter. I smiled as I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him.

"If it makes you feel better I can go back to bed," I told him and he nodded. "Okay, back to bed it is," I said as I turned to walk away. However he reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.

"I want a kiss first," he told me as he leaned down to capture my lips with his. We both smiled into the kiss before I broke it.

"Your eggs are burning," I said before turning quickly and hurrying out of the room, not wanting to be there while he was frustrated.

About ten minutes later he walked in, a plate in each hand, and sat down on the bed next to me.

"Mmmmm," I said as I looked at the plate he set in front of me. There was an egg, toast, bacon, and sausage. There was no way I could eat all of this but I appreciated the gesture greatly. "This looks delicious," I told him as I picked up the fork he handed me.

"Good," he said as he began to dig into his own food. He had almost three times as much food as me, something I couldn't comprehend. How could he eat that much?

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," I stated as we ate. He nodded, looking down at his shoulder. "What is it?" I asked, curious.

"Just a tribe thing. They guys all have one," he said and I nodded. I always wanted a tattoo but I was too chicken to get one. I probably never would.

"Have the roads cleared?" I asked as I took another bite, changing the subject. Paul nodded.

"I checked the news this morning. They said everything's cleared up. Should be a good drive home," he told me as he stuffed eggs into his mouth.

"I'll have to leave when we're done eating. I'm sure both my parents are already pacing the first floor, waiting for my phone call. I don't want to give them more reason to be worried," I told him and he nodded.

"Sounds good. I've gotta head over to Sam's place before noon anyway," he said and I wondered again who Sam was. I was about to ask him to tell me exactly what role Sam played in his life when I realized he was strongly contemplating something.

"What's wrong?" I asked him and he looked at me, frowning.

"If I were to tell you something, something kind of important, do you promise not to be mad?" he asked me suddenly and I nodded, wondering what he was talking about.

"I couldn't be mad at you," I told him. "Unless you killed someone, then I'd be mad at you," I added as a joke, hoping to lighten the mood. Instead, his scowl lines got deeper. "Paul what is it?" I asked him, suddenly worried. What could be so important that it made the conversation take such a turn?

"Promise you'll hear me out completely," he told me and I nodded. He pushed our plates aside and scooted closer, taking my hands in his. "I don't know if you've heard any of the Quileute legends..." he trailed off when he saw me shaking my head no. "Okay, well there's one legend. It's actually kinda important. Did you know our ancestors descended from wolves?" I shook my head again. I hadn't expected to have story time at Paul's house. I hadn't pegged him as the storytelling type. It seemed interesting though. "Well, it's true. Our ancestors could still turn into wolves. They were shape shifters. The gene apparently passes down through the generations and every few generations new members with the gene are born." I frowned, unsure of what he was saying.

"Are you trying to tell me some Quileutes still turn into wolves?" I asked him with a disbelieving laugh.

"Not just some Quileutes," he stated. "My friends and I." I frowned and he clarified. "Jared, Quil, Embry, Jake, Sam, Seth, and Leah. We're all wolves." That was the icing on the cake. I burst into a fit of giggles.

"This is ridiculous," I told him as I laughed. "But it's really not this funny to try and freak me out. Did you think this up when you heard the wolves howling last night?" Paul was frowning and I saw that he was shaking.

"Natasha I'm not joking around. I'm being serious." He shook harder as he let go of my hands and stood up, walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" I shouted as I stood up and followed him out. "You can't pull that joke and then walk awa-"

"I'm not fucking joking!" Paul shouted at me as he began to shake more. He hurried to the front door, pulling it open and running out into the snow. I followed him, standing in the doorway in shock. He had never yelled at me before. I don't think anyone had yelled at me quite that harshly before and it hurt.

Paul ran about ten yards from the house before turning to me.

"I'm not lying and I can prove it," he shouted to me before a loud ripping noise filled the air. The lines defining him blurred and then all of a sudden a burst of grey erupted from him, spreading across his body. As I watched in horror, my Paul was replaced by a gigantic grey wolf. It growled harshly at me and I gasped and then ran back into the house, grabbing my purse and my clothes before running back out the door, glad my car was in the opposite direction of the...thing that was standing in the yard.

Slamming the car door shut behind me, I stuck the key in the engine and as soon as it started I stomped my foot on the gas, tearing out of his driveway and off down the road.

As I drove, tears began to fill my eyes. I didn't even know why I was crying. Maybe it was the shock of it all; maybe it was the fact that my perfect relationship had suddenly turned a 180. Either way, as I pulled into my driveway twenty minutes later I was full on sobbing. I shut off the engine and tore into the house, running up the stairs before my parents could comment on my wardrobe. I hadn't changed out of Paul's boxers and shirt.

"Natasha?" I heard my mom call but I shut my bedroom door before going into the bathroom and collapsing on the toilet, letting the sobs take me.

* * *

_Well there you go! What do you think's going to happen now? Will she forgive him? Or will she be so upset, she'll never talk to him again? What do** you** think? Review!!!!!!_


	10. Chapter 9

_I was super excited when I read my reviews. 11!? That's so exciting!!! Thanks so much guys!!!_

_**twilightgal4life**- PLEASE don't consider not reviewing anymore! I promise it'll all work out..._

_**jblc77**- She will, don't worry!_

_**FutureOscarWinner94**- Thanks so much! I'm glad you think I'm doing great. Sometimes I can't tell so it's nice to hear someone else say it haha._

_**starlight5577**- YAY FOR CAPS! YEAH, HE DOES FEEL PRETTY BAD ABOUT TELLING HER. HOWEVER, BOYS ARE STUPID SO IN THIS CHAPTER YOU'LL SEE THAT INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON 'STUPID ME I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HER DIFFERENTLY' HE'S MORE LIKE 'MAN I'M PISSED SHE REACTED THE WAY SHE DID. I'M AN AWFUL PERSON.' OH WELL, IT'LL ALL IRON OUT SOON._

_**Musik Drache**- Nope, he doesn't. But that's why he's so loveable right?_

_**Larocho1**- She will, don't worry. Haha they won't comment on her appearance but they'll sure comment on her attitude. You'll see that in the next chapter. This one's ALLL Paul._

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Haha Thanks for saying my story doesn't sound lame in comparrison to yours. And no, Natasha isn't going to die. I hate killing off the main character, especially when half the story is in their POV haha._

_**sianybox**- I thought about it, but Natasha's really got enough going on in her life. She doesn't need her parents mad at her too haha. Glad you think she'll forgive him. You'll just have to keep reading and see... ;)_

_**Kishasho123**- I think she will. Love makes us do silly things like forgive people we're mad at haha. And of course she freaked out, I know I would if the guy I loved changed into a huge, mean wolf right in front of my eyes haha_

_**Adoxography Angelus** and **Fairy Skull**- THANKS for reviewing!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul was in agony. It had been five days. Five excruciatingly painful days since he had revealed his secret to Natasha. Five awful days of constantly calling her and getting her voicemail.

"Hey guys it's Natasha! I can't answer my phone right now, probably because I'm on the ice, but leave me a message and I'll call ya back as soon as I can!"

He had even tried calling her house but he suspected they had caller ID because it went right to the answering machine every time as well. In response, Paul took to wandering around his house with a beer in his hand. A few members of the pack had randomly tried coming over to lift his spirits but all of them had been unsuccessful. Nothing could be done to get Paul out of his mood, nothing except for Natasha. Paul knew that was expecting a miracle.

"Come on dude, it's been five days," Embry had said that morning. He and Quil sat on the couch watching as Paul slowly drank his fourth beer as he flipped through the channels on the TV, not even registering what was on.

"Let's go for a run or something," Quil added but Paul made a disagreeing noise.

"Paul you've gotta get out of here," Embry stated as he and Quil glanced at each other. "It's really not good for you to be stuck in here."

"Yeah, we can go for a run or a drive. Cliff diving usually clears your head." Paul glared at both of them.

"I don't want to clear my head. I want to keep replaying it in my head. I want to keep seeing her horrorstruck face as she ran for her car as fast as she could. I'm a monster," he said as he put his head in his hands. Quil stood up and went into the kitchen, pulling out his phone as he went.

"Paul dude, it's going to be okay," Embry stated as he stood up and walked over to crouch in front of Paul. "Yeah it may not have been the best way or time to tell her, but she's your imprint. She's drawn to you as much as you're drawn to her. She'll have to come around eventually."

"But what if she doesn't?" Paul asked as he stood up. Embry shrugged.

"She will," he said as if it was an easy answer.

"But what if she doesn't!?" Paul exclaimed as he began to shake. Quil walked back into the room at the loud noise and both guys watched as Paul took off out the door, phasing before he was all the way outside.

"Better go after him," Quil said and both boys pulled off their clothes as they ran after their friend.

Paul ran through the woods at full speed, trying to keep his mind empty as he waited for the inevitable phases of the rest of the pack.

_Paul don't be stupid_ he heard Jacob's voice as he ran. Sighing, he tried to keep all thought of Natasha out of his mind.

_Not possible when you're thinking about keeping her out of your mind_ Embry added with a wolf laugh. Paul groaned as he eventually came to a stop, plopping down to sit by a tree. This was too much for him to handle. Even death looked better at this point.

_NO!_ came Sam's alpha voice, strong and demanding. Paul sighed, wishing he hadn't thought that while he was a wolf. _You need to stop pouting and fix this. She's your imprint, you can't be like this forever,_ Sam told him and Paul looked up to see Sam walk into the clearing, his black figure towering above him.

_What am I supposed to do then? She won't answer my phone calls, she won't talk to me_, Paul told him, voice full with defeat. _I tried going to the ice rink, they must have changed their skating time because she wasn't there. I've tried calling her house and her dad answered the first time and told me to leave her alone. Since then no one's answered. If I show up at her house, they'll probably have me arrested,_ he sighed and collapsed on his stomach, resting his head on his paws.

_If you show up they'll call the police. What if someone else showed up?_ came Jared's voice. Paul didn't know when Jared had come into the conversation, not that he cared much anyway.

_What do you mean?_ Sam asked Jared.

_Well Kim and Natasha got pretty close at the football game last week, before this all happened. Kim's gone through exactly what Natasha's going through right now. What if Kim went to see Natasha and talked to her about it? It might make things a little better and maybe Natasha would understand it and accept it more._

Sam paused in thought for a moment, taking in all that Jared had said and turning it around in his head. Finally he nodded, looking in the direction Jared located.

_That's a good idea. Go call Kim and see if she'll do it. Paul, get up off your ass and get back to your house. We don't know what Natasha will do after she talks to Kim so your best bet would be to look presentable and make your house presentable, just in case she shows up to talk to you,_ Sam spoke it all in his alpha voice, making it impossible for Paul to disobey. Sighing in defeat, he stood up and turned to head back to his house.

_Jared, make sure Kim doesn't scare Natasha even more_, he said as he ran.

_You just worry about taking care of yourself. Kim's a pro at stuff like this_, Jared replied before his mind disappeared from the link, meaning he had phased back to his human form.

When he got back to his house, Paul phased before heading inside to find clean clothes. After he was dressed, he took a look around his room. There were chip bags, old coke cans, beer bottles, dirty plates, napkins, and random unfinished pizza crusts and chicken legs spread around. He had a lot ahead of him.

As he cleaned, he thought over what was happening. He had to admit he was a little pissed that Kim would be the one to talk to Natasha. He was really only pissed because he was jealous but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone. He wanted to be the one to make Natasha accept it, to take her in his arms as she accepted him.

Kim would make it better though, that he knew. She was one of those people who could fix almost everything. Jared was lucky to have her as his imprint. Paul was sure she could solve almost any problem; she kept a cool head in tough situations. He could just see it now, Kim sitting Natasha down and having a girl-to-girl talk about their werewolf boyfriends. If anyone could fix this whole mess, Kim could.

"Paul?" Jared's voice startled him and he almost dropped a plate. He hadn't heard his friend walk in the door.

"Back here!" he called from his room as he continued to pick up the trash on the floor.

"Wow, it's a warzone in here," Jared said as he walked in and Paul threw him a look. "Sorry. Listen, I talked to Kim and she's in. She just needs Natasha's address and she'll go over there this afternoon. She also promised she'll fix this whole mess you made," Paul glared at Jared but his face relaxed when he realized Jared was smirking.

"Thanks man," Paul said as he walked past Jared to take the plates and trash to the kitchen. "And thank Kim for me too. This means a lot to me."

"Yeah I know. You owe us," Jared said and Paul nodded. "So yeah, just the address and then I'll leave you to your cleaning."

Paul wrote out Natasha's address, even writing some simple directions, before handing the paper to Jared and pulling off his shirt.

"I'm going for a run. Have someone phase to tell me what happens with Kim and Natasha. I just can't stand to be cooped up in here waiting to hear something. I'll stay close so the connection doesn't break," he said and Jared nodded.

"Okay. I'll phase as soon as I hear from Kim and let you know what's going on," he said and Paul nodded before heading out the door, tossing his shorts behind him. "At least he took his clothes off this time," Jared said under his breath before grabbing the directions and his keys and heading out the door to take the directions to Kim. The sooner this was fixed, the better.

* * *

_Yeah, I know this chapter was shorter than usual but it was really just a filler-esque thing. What really matters in this situation is what Natasha's feeling. I just wanted to put down a little bit of what Paul's going through before switching back to her._

_You all know what to do! Read and then press that little button down there V. I'd really appreciate it!!!!!! Thanks guys!!!!!!_


	11. Chapter 10

_Hey guys! Well, here's chapter 10! I can't believe I've already posted so much! This is the chapter you've been waiting for, Natasha's POV on the whole situation! It's a lot longer than the last one too haha. It's filled with some pretty good stuff so I hope you enjoy it! However, before it starts, let's do review responses!!!:_

_**Charice**- Thanks, I'm glad you think it's interesting. And yeah, it was a total filler but I felt we needed to see how Paul was taking it instead of just continuing with Natasha._

_**yellow unicorn**- Yeah, Sam wouldn't let Paul do anything stupid. And don't worry, Kim is the girl everyone wants to be, she can fix bad situations haha._

_**starlight5577**- I'M GLAD YOU'RE DOING CAPS EVERYTIME. IT'S TOTALLY A 'YOU' THING HAHA. WELL, HERE;S HER POV SO YOU'LL GET TO SEE WHAT KIM DOES TO FIX THIS!_

_**Skyler1510**- I'm glad you liked Paul's POV. It makes me feel better about writing it that way haha_

_**FutureOscarWinner94**- Aww you think they're a cute couple? Thanks so much!!!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Uh.....wow. Your imagination really ran away with you this time...that's all I have to say haha_

_**twilightgal4life**- I'm glad you'll carry on reviewing haha. It would be a shame if you didn't._

_**random miss saranda clearwater**- you won't have to wait much longer... ;)_

_**jblc77**, **bloomsky** and **spannieren**- Thanks for reviewing! It means a TON to me!!!_

* * *

NATASHA:

Five days. It had been five days since my night with Paul was ruined by him announcing his shape shifting status and transforming right in front of me. Five days since I had run out of his house and took off in my car.

Since then I had received 30 missed calls, 15 voicemails, and 23 texts. That didn't include all the times the house phone rang before going to voicemail, meaning the rest of my family knew to ignore Paul like I was.

I didn't even really know why I was ignoring him. It was just a lot to take in. My whole life I had been brought up to understand there was a difference between real life and make believe. It was okay to have an imagination, as long as you understood it was different than reality. What Paul had told me, what he had revealed, was completely blurring the lines.

When I had run into the house that day, I had headed straight to my room. It wasn't long after that my mom was knocking on the door, asking me what had happened. After a failed attempt to stop crying, I had let my mom in and broke into a second round of sobs. Instead of asking me anything, she had taken me into her arms and held me tight. When my crying had subsided I had assured her nothing bad had happened. Paul and I had just gotten into a small argument and it had really hurt me. I had to make sure she understood that Paul hadn't done anything out of line when I slept over because otherwise my father would be over there with a shotgun.

The next day I had called in sick from skating. I needed a day to myself to take everything in. I lay in bed all day, ignoring my phone and just relaxing in my pajamas. Paul's boxers and t-shirt were folded neatly under my bed. I knew I'd be returning them someday so I had to keep them somewhere I would remember. I knew this would blow over soon. I just had to make my mind comprehend that I was dating a werewolf and I would be fine. Ha.

While I was home for the day, Dad's hockey team decided to show up again. Scott, Ralph, Tony, Mike, Steve, Jordan, and Alan all walked through the door, talking animatedly about practice. As soon as they saw me sitting on the couch, tear streaks on my cheeks, they stopped.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked as he came over and sat next to me. Tony sat down on my other side and the rest of the boys spread out, sitting down on chairs or the floor.

"Was it Paul?" Ralph asked and I felt a fresh wave of tears threaten to fall. Scott wrapped his arm around me and hugged me tight.

"We could always beat him up," Mike offered and a couple of the guys were quick to agree.

"Yeah I'm sure the seven of us could take him down," Scott said sarcastically and I found myself letting lose one laugh.

"Not if those friends of his join in," Steve started but Scott cut him off.

"Natasha, what do you want us to do?" he asked and I shook my head, lifting up my arm to wipe the tears away.

"Nothing, I don't want you to do anything. It was just a small fight, and I'm sure it'll blow over soon," I told them and I know they all rolled their eyes.

"Are you sure? Why don't you tell us what happened?" Alan said and I sighed.

"I can't really-"

"Just tell us what you can," Scott interrupted.

"Yeah," Jordan piped in. "You've got a room full of guys here. We know how guys think and we'll be able to help you sort this out." I sighed again before nodding and starting the story.

"So last night I had to spend at Paul's because the roads were too bad to drive on," I started but I was one again interrupted.

"Did he do something?" Ralph asked quickly and I sighed and shook my head.

"No, he was a perfect gentleman. But in the morning he told me that he had something to tell me. It was a secret about...his family and he told me I had to promise not to get mad or anything."

"And let me guess, you did?" Mike asked with a grin. I frowned.

"No I didn't get mad but it was a pretty big secret so I told him I didn't believe him. Then he got mad and yelled at me. I guess I freaked when he yelled and I took off in my car and left. He's been trying to call and text me but I haven't been answering." I left out the whole wolf part. That wasn't really my secret to tell and I didn't want to break Paul's trust by telling the guys. Plus I didn't think they'd believe me.

"Well it'll cool over soon. He obviously already feels bad or he wouldn't be calling you. Don't give in because of him, but when you feel comfortable, accept it and apologize." I sighed at Tony's advice.

"But you don't understand, he yelled at me. I've never had anyone freak out at me before, not even my parents. It was scary as hell and I saw a whole new side of him."

"We told you those La Push guys were bad news," Ralph said and the guys all looked at each other.

"I say we pay La Push a little visit," Steve said excitedly and I jumped.

"No don't. You guys will get hurt," I said and Steve scoffed.

"Wow Tash, way to show support for us," he said but Scott frowned and cut him off.

"No one's going to La Push. We're not going to get involved..." Scott said and Steve and Mike frowned. "...at the moment," he added before turning to me. "But if he does anything else, and I mean anything, you let us know and we will go talk to him." I smiled and nodded.

"No one messes with our girl and gets away with it," Tony said as he patted me on the back.

"Thanks guys, that means a lot to me," I said as I stood up. "I think I'm just gonna go to my room for a while," I told them and Ralph frowned.

"Aren't you supposed to be at practice?" he asked but I shook my head.

"I took a mental health day," I told them before heading up the stairs and disappearing into my room.

* * *

When I finally returned to practice the next day, Chris knew something was wrong. Unlike my mother, he didn't understand just letting it go. All through practice he would bug me, asking me over and over what was wrong. He had come to his own conclusion that it was about Paul and when I couldn't deny it he knew he was right. Unfortunately he thought the way to make me feel better would be to insult Paul every chance he got. The problem was that I was still in love with Paul.

I had come to that conclusion as I lay sick in bed. I loved Paul. I think I had since the first night when we went to get coffee at Charley's. There was something about him, something special that made me realize I couldn't live without him. It felt silly to feel so deeply about someone when I was only 17 but I knew it was true. Paul and I were meant for each other.

The next three days continued pretty much the same. I woke up, went to practice, blocked my mind from everything except skating, and went on autopilot until I went to bed at night. Then fresh tears would glide down my cheeks to puddle on my pillow. I knew it was me that was making this so much worse; I just couldn't make myself change it.

Before I knew it, it was Saturday. There was less than one week before the competition in Vancouver Andre had signed Chris and I up for. We had been training as hard as possible, repeating our routine over and over until it was drilled in our brains. Wednesday night we would be flying out to our hotel and the competitions would start Thursday. Chris and I were scheduled to compete in our age group on Friday and I was really starting to get nervous. It had been months since I had been in a competition; I didn't know the girls I would be up against and it terrified me.

After Saturday's afternoon practice I walked into my room and headed straight for the shower. Instead of making us skate, Andre had sent us to the gym for two hours. There, we worked out insanely, using the weights, machines, and mats. Andre wanted us in top form in every way possible and this was how he dealt with it.

My fifteen minute shower when I got home was heaven to my aching muscles but soon I was drying myself off and changing into clean clothes. Just as I walked out of my bathroom and into my room I heard a knock on my door.

"Natasha?" came my mom's voice and I walked over to open the door. "You have a visitor," she said and from the tone in her voice I could tell she didn't really know what to do. I sighed.

"Mom," I whispered harshly. "I told you I didn't want to talk to Paul if he showed up," I told her but she shook her head.

"It's not Paul," she told me and I frowned. "It's a girl."

"Oh," I said as I pushed past her and jogged to the stairs, eager to see who was visiting me. As I came to the bottom of the stairs and turned to the foyer, I stopped. Standing by my front door, looking slightly nervous, was Kim.

"Hey," she said when she saw me, looking relieved that I had shown up.

"Hi," I responded as I slowed to a stop, slightly unsure about why she was here. Having a slight panic attack that Paul would suddenly appear, I glanced to the door quickly. Kim shook her head.

"Don't worry, he's not here. Can we go talk in your room?" she asked and I found myself nodding. I had to admit, I was eager to hear what she had to say. Paul was lucky I loved him. Otherwise I probably wouldn't talk to anyone he sent.

I led Kim up to my room and shut the door behind us, turning to find her sitting down on my bed. She patted the spot next to her and I walked over to sit down.

"I know you probably don't want to see any of us and you probably don't want to talk about it..." she started and I cut her off.

"You're right," I told her and she threw me a look before continuing.

"...but I came because I care about you. I consider you a friend and friends don't let friends make stupid mistakes." I sighed as she grabbed my hands and pulled me to look at her. "Paul is really upset about what happened. He's really sorry about it all but he didn't know how else to tell you." I rolled my eyes.

"Not transforming and growling at me would have been a start," I said and she sighed.

"Well no one said he was smart," she stated and I nodded, trying not to grin. "The bottom line is that he feels terrible. Last I heard he ran away. They think he's heading up to Canada." Her information caught me off guard. Paul had run away?

"He ran away?" I asked with a gasp. "But that's stupid! He could get hurt, or get into trouble! What's he thinking?" I asked quickly and Kim smiled.

"Well that answers my first question," she said and I frowned. "I was going to ask if you still cared about him but your freak out there gave me an obvious answer," she said in response to my questioning look. I put my head down, blushing. "Paul and Jared asked me to come talk to you to help you understand what's going on," she told me. "Paul's tried all he could to talk to you and they felt that maybe, since I've been in the same boat, I could help you fully understand it all better."

"Our boyfriends are werewolves," I told her and she nodded. "I love Paul but that's so much to accept." Kim grinned but didn't make any comments to my small declaration of love. I was glad. I didn't want to hear her go on about how it can't be love because we've only known each other for about two weeks, we've only been dating for five days, and for those same five days we haven't been talking.

"Yes, they're werewolves but they're good. That's what you have to remember. They didn't choose this; it's been passed down to them from their ancestors. These boys were chosen to protect our tribe by transforming into wolves when need be. It is a huge responsibility that has been passed onto them and all they ask of us is to accept them."

"It's just so hard," I told her and she nodded. "I mean, I care about Paul. A lot. Way more than someone in my situation should, and it scares me. I know that I'll get over all this and accept him for what he is but it all just caught me off guard. Frankly, I don't know what I'm more scared of: him being a werewolf or me being in love with him after two weeks." Kim smiled.

"Natasha have you ever heard of imprinting?" she asked me and I shook my head.

"I mean, I've heard of baby animals imprinting on the first thing they see. That's why if a person finds a baby animal, sometimes it can imprint on them and will be attached to them." Kim nodded.

"Well, it's the same concept," she said as she scooted closer to me. "Werewolves also imprint, but not on adult figures. They imprint on their partners, their soul mates you could say." My eyes widened as she continued. "Jared imprinted on me, Sam imprinted on Emily, and Paul imprinted-"

"-on me," I whispered and she nodded. I turned to her frantically. "What does it mean?" I asked her. This was way more than I could handle.

"It just means that you're Paul's 'one.' His world revolves around you and he'll do anything for you. The day at the ice rink, the day you first met. Paul saw you as you skated past him and everything changed. That's all it takes, one look and suddenly everything is you."

I paused as this sunk in. Paul had known I was The One for him the moment he saw me at the rink? That brought a whole fresh wave of fear onto me. He knew I was the girl for him even before I knew he existed.

"Were you scared?" I asked her in a whisper. "When it happened to you with Jared." she shrugged.

"I wasn't at first. I had been crushing on Jared for years and he had never given me a second look. Then one day, BAM. I was scared when he told me everything, but I soon came to accept it. I grew up with the Quileute legends so I guess it was easier to accept they were real." she squeezed my hands, reminding me she was still holding them. "That's why I want to help you. I've accepted it and I want you to come to accept it too."

"It's so hard," I told her with a whine and she nodded, pulling me into a hug.

"But you love him, and he loves you. He would do literally anything for you. If you called him right now and told him to leave the state and never come back, he would do it," I pulled myself from her arms and shook my head.

"I don't want him to leave the state," I told her and she smiled.

"If you called him right now and told him you were heading to his house, he would run as fast as he could to be there when you got there," she told me and I sat, thinking it through. I glanced over at my keys, sitting innocently on my desk. Then I looked at my phone next to them. "You know you want to," she whispered and I sighed, falling back on the bed.

"But why do I want to?" I asked her with a groan and she frowned.

"Because you. Love. Paul," she said and I looked at her, a crease on my forehead.

"I love Paul," I said and she nodded. "I love Paul," I said again, firmer this time and she nodded, smiling widely. I jumped up from my bed, grabbed my keys and phone, and took off out the door. Kim followed me down the stairs and the last thing I heard before I ran out the front door was her voice.

"Yeah, tell him she's headed to his place right now."

* * *

I drove as fast as I dared, making it to Paul's house in a record twelve minutes. As I drove I got a text from Kim, telling me that she'd told my mom I was going over her house to hang out. I quickly texted her a thank you, glad she had thought to make a cover for my rush out of the house.

Pulling into Paul's driveway, I parked and got out of the car. Looking up at the house, I stopped when I saw him standing on the front step, watching me intently. As I stood still, he walked down the steps and then came to a stop, waiting for me to make the next move.

I ran into his arms.

"I'm so, so sorry," I told him as I felt tears come to my eyes again. He held me close as we just stood there, embracing each other in the snow.

"It's not your fault," he told me but I shook my head.

"I shouldn't have run away from you."

"I shouldn't have put all that on you at once."

"I love you," I said suddenly and he pulled away, looking at me. I smiled and he smiled in response, pulling me into a kiss.

"I love you too," he whispered and I felt fresh tears on my cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked, pulling away again and wiping the tears off my cheeks with his thumbs.

"I'm happy," I told him. "These are happy tears." He laughed as he wrapped his arm around me and led me inside. There, I sat on the couch while he grabbed me a glass of water. Then he sat next to me anxiously. "What?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I'm just worried any second you're going to run away again," he said and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere. Ever," he smiled as he brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "Kim told me everything," I said and he nodded. Obviously he knew she was going to. "She helped me realize how much it didn't matter, and she told me about the whole... imprinting thing." By the look on his face, he hadn't really expected that. I smiled and squeezed his hand again. "It's okay, it's better if I know everything. And I'm here aren't I?" He grinned and pulled me in for a kiss.

The makeout session was brought to a sudden halt when his stomach growled quite loudly. I broke my lips from his and burst into a fit of giggles.

"I'm sorry," I told him between laughs. He just sighed.

"I can't help it," he told me. "Werewolves have much larger appetites than regular people." I looked at him.

"What other quirks do werewolves have?" I asked him and he touched his hand to my face, instantly heating me up.

"We have high temperatures, about 109 degrees Fahrenheit." My eyes widened.

"No wonder you always feel like you have a temperature!" I exclaimed and he nodded. "What else?"

"Uh, we heal quickly. Like, if I went in the kitchen and cut myself with a knife-"

"Please don't," I said quickly and he smirked.

"If I did go in the kitchen and cut myself, it would heal really quickly. Jacob broke a bunch of bones last year and he healed in a couple days I think. It's pretty handy, but it makes setting the bones kind of hard."

"Yeah I'd imagine," I shuddered at the thought.

"I think the doctor had to re-break some of Jacob's bones in order to set them correctly..."

"Okay enough of that, what else?" I really didn't want to feel queasy.

"We run really fast and we're really strong. I can lift somewhere between 300 and 400 pounds." By this point I realized that my eyebrows would just constantly stay raised in shock. All of this was so impressive! "Oh and we don't age," he added as a side comment.

"What!?" I asked him in shock and he shrugged.

"It's not that big a deal. I look old for my age anyway. Most werewolves mature physically to about 25 or so. As long as we keep regularly phasing we don't age. This way you'll catch up to me in age," he said with a smile as he leaned down to kiss me again. I decided I liked that; when he randomly kissed me. It made me feel loved, something that every girl wants to feel.

The kissing continued for a while. It felt nice to just be able to relax with Paul. Now I felt stupid for what had transpired the previous week. To think that I could ever run away from him and avoid him made me want to cry. I was mad at myself, but I was mostly happy that he had forgiven me. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't.

Our makeout session eventually broke when his stomach began growling more severely. When he got up to head to the kitchen, I pushed him into one of the chairs. He had made breakfast last week, now it was my turn to cook.

"So how was your run to Canada?" I asked him as I dug through the fridge, looking for anything that could be made into a hearty meal. I glanced at him to see him smiling sheepishly.

"You heard about that huh?" he asked and I nodded.

"Kim told me," I stated as I pulled a frozen jar of half empty pasta sauce from the back of his freezer. I then moved onto the cupboards. "How could you have been so stupid to run away like that? You could have gotten hurt," I told him and he responded by laughing.

"I'm a wolf; I can take care of myself just fine. When we phase, our wolf instincts take over. I knew exactly what I was doing. Besides, I obviously didn't go too far," he told me and I shrugged.

"Still," I told him as I grabbed a box of unopened spaghetti. "Yes," I said to myself in victory as I set it on the counter next to the pasta sauce. Now to locate the pans. "How did they all get a hold of you when I decided to come here? Do you have a little collar holder for your cell phone?" I asked in a teasing tone and he smirked.

"No. We can hear each other's thoughts," he said and I frowned.

"Come again?" I asked and he frowned in thought.

"I mean, when we're wolves...when we're in our wolf form...we can hear what we're all thinking. It's a pack thing. If Sam and I are both in our wolf form, we can talk to each other in our heads..." he cut off as I shook my head in disbelief. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just weird, that's all," I told him as I finally located a pan and put it on the stove, filling it with water to boil. "Who's Sam?"

"Sam's our Alpha. He's in charge of the pack. Technically Jake's an Alpha too, it's weird. But anyway, I take orders from Sam."

"What kinds of orders?" I asked as I pulled myself up to sit on the counter.

"Like, not to tell anyone about us being wolves. Sam ordered all of us to silence and we can't break the Alpha's rules, even if we want to." I frowned.

"But you told me." He smiled as he stood up and came to stand in front of me, resting his hands on my legs.

"Because you're my imprint. That rule's thrown out the window when it comes to you," he told me as he leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss lasted until I heard the water begin to boil. I shoved Paul away as I jumped off the counter and added the pasta. I set the timer over the stove and then turned back to him.

"So I'm your imprint and Kim's Jared's imprint. Who else has an imprint?" I asked as I walked to the fridge to look for any kind of meat I could put with the spaghetti.

"Sam has Emily and Quil has Claire. Oh and Jake has Renesmee. That's it at the moment. We used to believe imprinting was rare. Then all of a sudden we've got five pack members imprinting. Do you need help with something?" His question, I'm sure, was directed at the fact that I was halfway in the fridge, digging around for anything else to eat with the pasta.

"Do you have like, chicken or any kind of meat? I know spaghetti won't be enough for you," I told him and he walked over to the fridge, pushing me aside to open the freezer. Since he had it under control, I went back to the cupboard and grabbed a toaster I had spotted, setting it on the counter. Grabbing the loaf of bread on top of the fridge, I popped two slices in and then went back to check on the spaghetti.

"I want to meet the other girls," I told him as I stirred the noodles. "I've met Kim, I want to meet the other three," I looked over to see Paul rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Well...and don't freak out...but the other girls aren't exactly typical girlfriends," he told me and I frowned, waiting for him to continue. "Claire's three and Renesmee is one," he told me and my eyes widened.

"That's gross," I said and he quickly shook his hands.

"No, no it's not like that. A wolf will be anything their imprint needs. For you, it's a boyfriend, for Claire and Renesmee, it's a brotherly figure. When they grow older, Quil and Jake will turn into their closest friends. Eventually, it will turn to a romantic relationship, but not before they're ready. Besides, neither of the boys are aging so they won't be too much older than the girls," I shook my head as I stirred the pasta more.

"That's just weird," I said and he shrugged. "It is what it is. I'm just glad I didn't imprint on a baby," he said with a grin as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. "I love you," he whispered in my ear as he placed a kiss on my neck. "And I love that you're cooking for me," he added and I laughed.

"Well it's not much. If you had more food in this place it would be more of a meal," I told him and he shrugged and let go of me, turning me around to face him.

"I'm sure it's fine," he told me just as the timer went off. I spun back around and turned it off, lifting up the pan and tilting it over the sink to drain the water out.

"Did you find any meat?" I asked him.

"Nope, nothing except some old salami," he told me and I wrinkled my nose.

"Can you butter the toast?" I asked him as I poured the drained spaghetti into a nice bowl and dumped some pasta sauce on it. Paul walked over to the counter and popped the toast up, putting more bread in before buttering the two toasted pieces.

All too soon we had an almost perfect meal. We sat down at his table as I dished up the spaghetti. Of course Paul ate like a cow, stuffing as much in as possible. It wasn't long before the bowl was empty and Paul was back to the fridge, looking for anything else to munch on.

"Sorry it wasn't enough," I told him seriously as I rinsed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

"Baby it was fine," he told me as he continued to look around. "I just eat more than the normal human being. After cooking for me for a while you'll know how many servings to make," he stated as he pulled out the salami he had mentioned earlier and began to make a sandwich. "You should feel sorry for Emily. When she cooks, she cooks for all of us," he told me and I sighed.

"If she ever needs help, I can do it. I like cooking," I told him and he locked eyes with me and grinned. Our eye contact was broken, however by my phone.

"If that's your mom, tell her you're spending the night at Kim's," he told me as he continued to make his sandwich.

"What if I don't want to?" I asked him and he looked at me quickly as I grinned and flipped open my phone. "Hey mom," I said cheerfully as I turned and walked out of the room.

"Natasha, you've been gone a while. Your friend Kim said you were heading over to her house for a while. She seems like such a nice girl," my mom said and I internally sighed. At least Kim left a good impression.

"Yeah, she heard about my argument with Paul. I told her how I hadn't been out in a while and she declared tonight a girl's night. Would it be okay if I slept over? I don't have training until the afternoon tomorrow and I'll make sure I'm there in time. I've been cooped up and depressed for too long, Kim wants to help me feel better," I told her as I sat on the couch. I felt really bad lying but technically it was with Kim's help that tonight would help me feel better.

"Alright that's fine," my mom finally said. "As long as you promise to be at practice on time tomorrow. I don't want to hear from Andre that you got there late."

"Okay, thanks mom," I told her before we said goodbye and hung up. I then stood up and walked back into the kitchen to find Paul eating a huge sandwich.

"She's letting you stay," he stated and I frowned. How did he know? "Wolf hearing," he said as if he had read my mind, pointing to his ears. I smirked as I set my phone down and continued with the dishes. When Paul's sandwich was gone we retired to the living room to snuggle together on the couch and watch some TV.

And when I say 'watch some TV' I really mean 'make out.'

* * *

_She found everything out and accepted it all!! AND she told him she loved him!! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and it worked out the way you wanted it to...haha Remember to hit that little button down there V to review and let me know what you thought!! Thanks!!_


	12. Chapter 11

_Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay between chapters. This weekend was sooo busy and fun it's not even funny!!!! Probably the BEST weekend so far! So yeah, here's the long awaited next chapter haha. But first..._

_**spannieren**- Yeah, I really wanted her and Kim to get along. Because of her skating, she doesn't have many friends so I wanted her to get a bf AND a friend out of this haha. Glad you liked it!_

_**twilightgal4life**- YAY she did!!!! haha_

_**jblc77**- Don't worry, there's drama coming soon..._

_**Musik Drache**- Haha glad you approve of them finally being together for sure this time lol. And it's okay, just make sure you review EVERY. OTHER. CHAPTER. :)_

_**starlight5577**- HAHA I'M GLAD MY STORY WAS SOOO GOOD YOU WERE SOBBING UNDER YOUR PILLOW (ALTHOUGH I HIGHLY DOUBT IT HAHA). OMG THAT'S A SUPER FUNNY IDEA. MAYBE I'LL PUT THAT IN SOMEWHERE...IDK. YOU'LL FIND OUT HOW THEIR SLUMBER PARTY GOES IN THIS CHAPTER..._

_**random miss saranda clearwater**- yeah, I liked that line. Honestly, I say that ALLL the time to my roomies. I'll be all "we watched a movie. And when I sat watched a movie, I really mean we made out" hahahaha. Oh wait...I don't exactly say that ALLL the time...tee hee ;)_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- a tad crazy is A. O. K with me haha. Aww I'm glad I could make your heart stop for a few seconds (as morbidly awful as that sounds haha). Haha thanks for the break, even though I LOVE your crazy reviews!_

_**FutureOscarWinner94**- Yeah, me too!!!! YAY!!! haha_

_**Fairy Sull** and **Kishasho123**- Thanks so much for reviewing!!!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul usually slept as much as possible, knowing that at any moment he could be called on duty. Usually, Paul's days consisted of either being on duty, eating, or sleeping. However now that Natasha was in his life, he had something more important to fill his day.

That was why it was one o'clock in the morning and he was lying in bed wide awake, watching Natasha sleep next to him. He thought she was the most beautiful creature in the world and watching her sleep put him at ease. He knew it sounded creepy but he really enjoyed watching her sleep. Her eyelids fluttered as she dreamed and her stomach and chest slowly rose and fell as she breathed. Occasionally she would move slightly, rolling over or moving her head to the other side. She was so peaceful in her sleep, he couldn't help but feel peaceful too.

As Paul lay there watching her, he thought over what had happened in the past few hours. When Jared had phased and told him that Natasha was heading to his house, he almost shrieked for joy, as girlish as that sounds. He hadn't strayed far at all, not even leaving the property of the Reservation, so it was easy for him to make it home before she arrived.

The sight of her pulling into his driveway and look frantic almost made his heart break. Right then he knew that she forgave him. He was still cautious though, too afraid to make a wrong move and send her back home.

As she held him tight and told him she loved him, he almost died right there. To hear those three beautiful words come from her equally beautiful lips was like heaven. It was too good to be true. He definitely had to thank Kim the next time he saw her.

Spending the rest of the day with her was more than he could ask for. Her accepting him was enough. When she wasn't looking, he kept pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

After dinner they had retired to the couch for a heavy make out session. All too soon Natasha had begun to yawn. Knowing she needed her sleep in order to practice properly, Paul ordered that they head off to bed. Giving her another pair of his boxers and shirts, she sighed.

"I left the other ones at my house. I'll bring them back tomorrow," she told him and he nodded, kissing her.

"It's okay," he said as he pushed her toward the bathroom. While she was gone he stripped down to his boxers and made sure the room looked decently clean. Then he fell into bed and waited for her to join him. It didn't take long before she was snuggled up next to him, running her delicate fingers across his abdomen. She had drifted off to sleep that way and he had started watching her, not wanting to miss a single moment with her.

Around 1:30 he eventually did drift off to sleep, only to be awakened at two by his phone ringing on the table next to him. Grabbing it, he carefully got out of bed and answered it.

"Yeah?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes. He knew why he was called but he was really hoping he was wrong.

"Quil and Seth picked up a leech trail at the South end of the Res about twenty minutes ago. It's fresh and it's heading north. We need you to head up there and try to see if you can pick up the trail closer to the middle of the Res. Jake and Leah will meet you guys there," Sam said over the phone and Paul sighed.

"Can't you send Embry or Jared? Natasha and I just made up and I don't want to leave her here alone-"

"Paul," Sam said in his strict, no-joking Alpha voice. Paul sighed in defeat as he rubbed his eyes again.

"Alright, I'll be there in ten," he said before hanging up the phone. Turning to the bed, he saw Natasha yawning as she rolled over to face him.

"Who was that?" she asked groggily, her voice still full of sleep. Paul walked back to lean over the bed and kiss her on the lips. As out of it as she seemed, she was still able to make her lips respond, giving him a quick peck before breaking free to yawn again. Paul smiled at how cute she was.

"Sam. I have to go run a patrol. I promise I won't be gone long. I'll probably even be back before you get up," he told her as he pulled the blankets up around her.

"Don't go," she said sleepily and he sighed.

"I have to. Alpha's orders," he said sadly as he kissed her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep and I'll be back soon," he told her before getting up and heading out of the room.

"Paul," came Natasha's voice and he stopped, back stepping to peek back in the room. "Be careful," she told him and he nodded with a smile.

"I always am."

* * *

Four hours later he trudged slowly back into the house. He had met up with the pack and together the five of them had chased the bloodsucker's trail up until the edge of the Reservation. Jake had volunteered to go on, promising to alert anyone if the trail turned and headed back to their land.

Hoping Natasha had been able to get back to sleep, Paul pulled on his boxers he had left in the living room before heading to his room. There, he found her sprawled out across the entire queen sized bed, the sheets strewn everywhere. Grinning, he got down on the bed and crawled over her limbs, gently trying to push her out of his way. With a gasp she opened her eyes and it took a moment before she focused on him.

"You're back," she said softly and he nodded.

"I told you I would be," he replied as he collapsed on his side and pulled her so he could spoon against her.

"What happened?" she asked as he hugged her tightly from behind, placing a light kiss on her shoulder.

"Seth and Quil picked up a leech trail and Sam wanted more of us to follow it. Jake's still following it to make sure it doesn't double back around to come back to the Res," he told her and she frowned before turning to look at him.

"A what trail?" she asked and he winced.

"A...uh, leech trail," he said and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Promise you won't freak out?" he asked and she sighed.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you," she said and he nodded.

"It's just, it's kinda big and I don't want you to freak out like last time." She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him.

"I won't, I promise." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before talking.

"Werewolves aren't the only mythical creatures out there," he said, opening his eyes again. "What would you say if I told you vampires were real?" Natasha stared at him.

"Vampires?" she whispered and he nodded. "Oh my God," she said to herself before turning back to him. "Are they here, on the Reservation?" he shook his head.

"We just chased one off tonight; a loner who keeps coming back. There's a family of vampires that live in Forks but they're good." Natasha scoffed.

"They're good?" she asked in disbelief and he nodded.

"They don't feed on humans. We helped each other get out of a rough spot a little while back and since then we've been working together. But there are other vampires out there. That's what the Quileute wolves are made for, killing vampires." Natasha gulped.

"Kill?" she asked and he nodded. "Paul I don't want you to get hurt," she said and he laughed.

"I won't. I'm more worried about you getting hurt than anything else," he said and she sighed, relaxing into his hold. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."

"Well when you accept your boyfriend's a werewolf, there's not much else that can surprise you," she stated and he laughed again, kissing her on the head. When his laughing subsided, he glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's 6 o'clock, do you want to go back to bed or get up and have breakfast?" he asked her. She took a deep breath, as if contemplating something, before surprised him by climbing over to straddle his waist, both of them face to face.

"I'm not really tired or hungry," she said with a smile as she leaned forward kissing him on the lips.

"Natasha," he sighed as she pushed him back to lie on the pillows. This was a side of her he hadn't seen before and he didn't really know what to do. Sure he had had his fair share of girls, but he hadn't cared for any of them as much as Natasha. Of course he wanted Natasha, he wanted her completely, as much as anyone could want somebody, but he wasn't about to push her too soon. She was his imprint and he would wait until she was ready.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear as she kissed his neck. In one fluid motion, Paul grabbed her hips and flipped her over, holding himself up to hover over her. Leaning down, he left a trail of kisses across her neck before grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it up over her head. He barely glanced at her pink and orange polka dot bra before continuing his trail of kisses down her neck, through the valley of her chest, and down her stomach to the top of the boxers she wore. Then he continued the kisses back up until he found his lips.

"I love you too," he told her. "And we don't have to do this if you're not ready." She shook her head, locking eyes with him.

"I want to," she said as she lowered her hands to take hold of the elastic on his boxers.

Paul didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

A knock on the door was what woke Paul up from his deep sleep. Groaning, he rolled over and then smiled. Natasha was sound asleep, lying on her stomach, her bare back uncovered by the sheets that had slid down to just barely cover her bottom half. When the knock sounded again, he jumped up from the bed and searched the floor for his boxers. He found them over by his dresser and he quickly pulled them on before walking down the hall.

When he opened the front door he was met with a very agitated Jared.

"We've been trying to call you for the past half hour," he said as he let himself in. Paul lifted his hand up to scratch the top of his head as he yawned.

"Sorry, I was sound asleep I guess," he said as he walked into the kitchen to pour some orange juice.

"Well you'll be happy to know Jake chased the bloodsucker all the way to the Canadian border last night. He would have followed it farther but it took a sharp turn West and the scent disappeared into the Pacific Ocean," Paul frowned and put his finger to his lips.

"Keep it down a little," he said and Jared looked around him toward the bedroom. His eyebrows rose.

"Is Natasha in there?" he asked and Paul nodded.

"She's sleeping and I don't really want to wake her up," he said but Jared grinned.

"Too late," he said and Paul turned at the sound of footsteps.

Natasha was walking into the kitchen, wrapped in the blankets from the bed and he was positive she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"What's u...hi Jared," she said with a blush as she pulled the blankets tighter around her.

"Hey Natasha," Jared said with a wave and a smirk. "What's up?" she blushed deeper.

"Nothing. Uh, I'll be right back," she said and Paul turned to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before she disappeared back into the bedroom.

"So what happened with you two last night?" Jared asked with a grin and Paul began to shake.

"You better be gone before she comes back," he said gruffly. Jared held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. No need to ask me twice. I delivered my message and now I'm gone," he said before turning and heading to the door. "Have fun!" he called before slamming the door shut behind him.

As soon as Jared was gone, Paul turned and hurried back to his room, walking in just as Natasha was pulling the t-shirt back over her head.

"No, no, no," Paul said as he ran to her side and stopped her hands. She frowned.

"Jared's here," she whispered harshly but he shook his head, forcing her hands up with the shirt still in them.

"He left," he said as he took the shirt from her hands and tossed it to the floor. "Now can you please take your clothes off so we can snuggle in the morning-after glory?" she laughed as he pushed her onto the bed and curled up with her.

"I can't believe you just said 'snuggle,'" she giggled and he laughed, pulling her closer. She started to squirm and he held her tighter, trying not to actually hurt her with his strength. "Paul I really need to go," she told him and he frowned. "I have training at 1 and I need to go home and shower first."

"We can shower here. Save water and all that," he said with an innocent, pathetic grin but she shook her head.

"I'll come back, I promise. I really need to go though." He sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he said before resting his chin on her shoulder. "How are you?" he asked, suddenly serious. She turned to frown at him.

"Fine, why?" she asked and he shrugged.

"No reason. I just know that sometimes, after their first time, some girls feel different. I just wanted to make sure you were still okay with what happened last night," he said and she smiled, leaning in to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

"I am more than okay with what happened last night. I love you, you love me, and it was perfect." He refused to make eye contact and she frowned.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said and she sighed.

"You didn't hurt me. It's supposed to feel like that for a girl her first time. It was fine, really. I'm just a little sore. I'll be okay. It was wonderful and I'm glad I got to share it with you." He looked up to see her smiling and he couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm glad I got to share it with you too," he told her as he pulled her in for another kiss. She gave in to the kiss until she felt his hands creep up to take hold of her bra straps.

"Nope," she said as she pulled away and stood up and Paul groaned in playful annoyance. Natasha laughed as she grabbed the clothes she had worn yesterday off the floor. "I'm off to practice. I'll call you when I get out and maybe you can come over to my house," she told him before hurrying to the bathroom to change. Hurrying was the wrong word. Paul winced as he saw her hobble. She was obviously sore and he felt bad about it.

Grabbing a pair of jeans out of his dresser, Paul pulled them on before walking out to wait for Natasha in the living room. She appeared a second later, running a hand through her tangled hair.

"Do I look like I spent the night at a girl's slumber party instead of having sex with my boyfriend?" she asked him and he wrinkled his nose. "Yeah that's what I thought. I'll just have to make sure my parents don't see me before I make it to my room," she said as she grabbed her purse and put on her coat. "I love you," she said as she gave him a quick kiss goodbye. Then she wobbled out the door and hurried to her car, eager to get home with enough time to shower and get ready before practice.

As he watched her leave, Paul leaned against the door frame with a smile. As soon as her car was out of sight, he headed back inside to make himself breakfast. While his eggs were frying, he thought back on the previous night.

It had been amazing, that was all that could be said. Although it was Natasha's first time, Paul didn't think it could have been better. He was worried he had been too rough with her but her assurances had calmed him a little. It was hard to control his strength in the heat of the moment, even when he tried to focus his mind on not hurting her more than he had to.

His phone rang sharply, bringing him back to reality.

"What?" he asked harshly as he flipped his eggs onto a plate.

"A little moody aren't we?" came Leah's voice and he growled. "Sam wanted me to call and tell you to meet over at his place around noon. He's worried that bloodsucker might come back since Jacob lost her trail," she said before hanging up. Paul sighed as he dug into his food. He had another long day ahead of him.

* * *

_So there ya go! What do y'all think?? I know sex might be a little *too* early but in my mind, their relationship is so much faster than normal people's because they DO know they love each other and are meant to be together, you know? I do NOT condone sex so soon in a relationship but I feel like even though they've only been together for a couple weeks, the passion between them is equivalent to like, a couple years of a normal relationship. IDK, just my idea (and it's my story so THERE! haha)_

_Leave me a review telling me what you think! All it takes is a click of that button down there!_


	13. Chapter 12

_ Hey guys!!! Sorry it's been SOOOOO long. This week got SUPER crazy and this weekend got even crazier! On top of schoolwork, I'm having insane guy drama shit and so even though this chapter was done, I haven't gotten it out until today. Because of that, and because of my lack of time, I'm not going to do reader reviews this time. Sorry for everyone who wanted to see their name up here, sorry! That just means you'll have to review again haha. For now, enjoy:_

* * *

Sex. I, Natasha Marie Bascov have had sex.

It was weird to think; I was no longer a virgin. All my life I had grown up thinking that losing one's virginity was a big deal. I'm not saying I no longer believed that, it just didn't seem that big a deal now that it was gone. Maybe that's what happened when you lost your virginity with the man you loved.

I knew Paul wasn't a virgin, I was sure he had plenty of girls before me. Most of my nervousness leading up to the event was the fact that I felt I couldn't compare to them. They were probably perfect, whereas I had had no clue what I was doing. When it was over and Paul had curled around me to drift off to sleep, I had lain there for a while, thinking over what had happened. I had lost something I could never get back...and it didn't bother me.

When I got home I dodged up to my room, eager to get in the shower before my parents saw me. I was sure I looked like hell and I didn't want them to question what had happened.

In the shower, I let the warm water flow over my sore body. I felt like I ached all over, that was the only problem. After my shower, I carefully pulled on my training clothes and headed downstairs. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table, reading one of her magazines. She looked up when I walked in and I quickly tried to look like I was walking normally.

"Hi honey," she said. "How was Kim's house?" I nodded.

"Really good actually. We watched girly movies and did each other's hair and stuff. The typical girl things. It's nice having a friend to do that with," I told her as I grabbed stuff out of the fridge to make a sandwich.

"Good, that's nice to hear," she seemed hesitant to continue. "Did she help you with the Paul situation?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, she made me call him and we talked it out. It turned out it was a whole big misunderstanding."

"Oh honey that's so good to hear," she said. I finished making my sandwich and walked over to sit across from her.

"Yeah and he actually asked me to be his girlfriend so I guess we're official now," I told her. There was no reason for me to tell her he'd asked me before last week's incident.

"That's so exciting!" my mom exclaimed as she closed her magazine and gave me her full attention, turning serious. "Maybe we should have that talk now," she started and I looked at her in shock.

"Uh, no I really don't think I need to hear that talk," I told her but she shook her head.

"I know you learned it in school but now that you're in a serious relationship, you need to hear it from your mother." I stood up and walked out of my room, carrying my sandwich with me.

"No, I really don't think I need to," I said again as I grabbed my coat and car keys. "I have to go to practice. Paul might come over afterwards so tell Dad to be nice," I said, hurrying out the door before she could mention another word about the talk.

Making it to the rink just in time, I hurried to the locker room to change into my outfit and skates before going out on the ice. As I was changing, a thought came over me. I was so sore, and I had to skate. This practice would suck.

"You just made it," Chris said as he skated over to me. I sighed as I bent down to adjust my skates, mentally preparing myself for the hell that was about to occur.

"Natasha! Chris!" Andre called us over to where he was standing. "We only have two days to practice before both of you will be on a plane to Vancouver for the competition. I want to see the routine ten times perfectly. Any small mistake and it doesn't count. Begin."

I sighed as Chris and I skated to the middle of the rink to await the start of our music. I knew Andre would be nitpicky, looking for the smallest mistakes he could find. If we did the routine less than twenty-five times I would be impressed.

I was screwed.

* * *

"So what's got you in a weird mood?" Chris asked as we waited for Andre to restart the music after our second failed attempt.

"What do you mean?" I asked and he frowned at me.

"Come on Natasha, I'm not stupid. You've been mopping around about Paul for almost a week and now all of a sudden you're moves are all cheerful again. Super shitty and you seem really sore, but cheerful none-the-less. Did you two make up?" I nodded at his question. "Seriously? I thought he was a jerk to you. What if he does it again?" I sighed.

"Paul is not a jerk. It was a misunderstanding. We both apologized and I know it won't happen again. We are perfectly happy," I told him as I lifted my hands up to hold them in my starting position.

"I think you're in denial," Chris said but before I could respond, the music started again and we were off. The rest of the two hours of practice was done in complete silence.

* * *

"What do you mean I'm in denial?" I asked him as we made our way to the locker rooms, me somewhat cautiously. He shrugged.

"I just think that you're so excited about him that you're blinding yourself to what he really is." I spun around to face him.

"And what is that?" I asked him, my heart pounding. Could be possibly know about Paul being a wolf? I hadn't told him, but would Paul believe me?

"He's an ass," he said. "And he's too old for you. What is he, 25?"

"He's 21," I said through gritted teeth. "And I happen to like him just the way he is. He may give off that 'ass' persona but he's really a great guy." He rolled his eyes. "Why do you care so much?" I asked and he shrugged.

"You're my partner. You've been my partner for two years. I consider you one of my closest friends. I care about you and I don't want anything to happen to you," he said this all quickly without making eye contact. I smiled.

"Chris, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I told him and he shrugged again.

"Don't let it get to your head," he said as he ruffled my hair. I shoved him as he walked past me and into the guy's locker room. Then I turned and walked into the girl's locker room, eager to change and get a shower. I was sweaty and it was gross. Plus, my sore lower half could totally use another calming warm shower.

After my shower I dried off on one of the benches, grabbing my phone as I did. Figuring I couldn't talk on the phone and get dressed at the same time, I texted Paul to let him know I was out of practice and to see if he wanted to come over. I was pulling on my pants when he responded.

'dinner? I'll be there at 6'

'ok. See you then'

Putting my phone back in my bag, I pulled on my shirt and pulled my hair up in a bun before heading out to the rink. As I was making my way to my car, I ran into Chris.

"Hey. I guess Christine just called Andre. He ordered our costumes for the competition and they came in. Want to head over there now and just get it over with?" I looked at the clock. I had a little under three hours until Paul showed up at home. I'd be fine.

"Sure, let's go," I said as we went out to the parking lot where our two cars were the only ones parked there. I followed him to the dress shop where our costumes got delivered. Andre knew our sizes to order them but they always needed extra tweaking, something Christine, the owner of the shop, was able to do perfectly.

The dress shop was located just ten minutes down the road from the rink. They mostly carried bridal and prom dresses so the inside looked as if someone had thrown up pink frou-frou everywhere. I personally loved it, but I was a typical girl. Chris always felt embarrassed going in there so he refused to go without me. Something about it hurting his manly pride.

"Ah! There are my two favorite figure skaters!" Christine exclaimed as we walked into the shop. "Ready to try on these new creations?" she asked and we both nodded, Chris less enthusiastically than I. "I have them already hung in the dressing rooms. Go put them on so I can start pinning," she told us and we headed to the back room. My dress was hanging in the left dressing room so I walked into it, sliding the curtain shut behind me.

It was a dark, seductive red velvet with gold accents. The top was asymmetrical and went into a single strap over the left shoulder. The skirt was a wrap around georgette skirt that hung down to mid-thigh. I loved it.

Slipping it on, I tied my hair up high so I could get a sense of what the dress would look like on me with my hair up. Checking myself out in the mirror, I was pleased with what I saw. It was a little loose in the chest and butt but I knew Christine would fix it up right away.

"Come on out!" Christine called and both Chris and I opened our curtains at the same time. "Oh, beautiful," she said softly as she walked over to check my dress out first. I glanced over at Chris and grinned. He was wearing black pants with a red shirt that matched my dress. The front collar dipped open with gold tie strings and gold accents spread across the shirt, similar to the fabric of my dress. He nodded his head appreciatively in my direction.

"Looking good," he told me and I blushed. I always blushed when I got compliments. I was just a very shy, blush-able person.

"Now, we'll need to do a little tightening up here on the bust. I'd say about an inch or so. Let me grab my pins," Christine said as she walked over to the desk. "How does it feel in the back?" she asked me as she looked through her drawers.

"Uh, it's a little loose," I told her and Chris sniggered.

"You need more junk in your trunk," he told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Nonsense. Any more weight and you wouldn't be able to lift her," Christine said as she walked back over, pins in hand. I laughed and Chris frowned.

"He can barely lift me as it is," I told her and Chris rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, keep making fun of the only guy. Way to isolate me even more," he said and this time Christine joined in on my laughter.

After she was done pinning me, I went to stand on the changing room platform while Chris got pinned. The platform was what the brides stood on while the hems of their long dresses were altered. Standing up there, I did a few careful, strained jumps and leaps, getting the feel of the costume on me. I lifted my arms above my head and held my right foot out straight, holding all my weight on my left foot. Closing my eyes, I imagined myself skating across the ice while an arena full of people clapped and cheered.

That was what I enjoyed most about competitions, hearing the appreciation people had for my skating. It was enough that I enjoyed it but to hear that other people enjoyed what I did made it ten times better. I think that was what kept me skating at the level I was at. I knew it had to come to an end someday but for now I was going to enjoy it.

"Having fun?" I heard Chris' voice ask and I quickly opened my eyes, putting my foot back down. I felt my cheeks redden with a blush.

"Shut up," I said in a huff as I climbed off the platform and walked to the changing room. He just laughed as he walked into his own room.

When we were both finished changing we walked out to the front desk to hand the costumes to Christine.

"They'll be ready by tomorrow evening. Chris, yours will be $156 plus tax. Natasha, yours comes to $245 plus tax. You'll both pay when you pick them up,"

"Thanks Christine," I told her as I put my purse on my shoulder and headed for the door.

"Thanks Christine," Chris said before following me out the door.

"Bye guys! Good luck!" Christine called after us as the door shut.

"It must suck to have to pay so much for your costume," Chris said as we walked to our cars. I just shrugged.

"I'm used to it. Besides, if a costume ever falls through, I have plenty of backup," I said with a laugh before climbing in my car.

"See you tomorrow," he told me before getting in his own car. I turned on the engine and then glanced at the clock. I had an hour until Paul got to my house. An hour to get home and get ready. Putting the car into gear, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

Fifty-five minutes later I was running around my room frantically, trying to finish getting ready. I had instructed my mom on making a good meal and told Tyler and Natalie to set an extra place at the table. I was waiting for my dad to get home from practice so I could tell him to play nice with Paul.

Currently my hair was half up as I straightened it. I had reapplied my makeup and had changed into my skinny jeans and a long purple sweater.

"Hi hunny!" I heard my mom say and I knew my dad was home. Jogging downstairs, I gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"You look nice," he said and I nodded.

"Thank you. Now Daddy, Paul's coming over for dinner so please be nice," I pleaded and he frowned.

"Why is he coming over? Did you two make up?" I nodded.

"It was all a big misunderstanding. Kim made me call Paul last night and we talked it over. So please, be nice," I stressed the end and he nodded.

"Alright, I'll be nice. Mmm dinner smells good, what is it?" he asked my mom and he squeezed past me and headed into the kitchen. I was about to follow after them when the doorbell rang. Jumping, I quickly checked myself in the mirror on the far wall before pulling the door open.

Paul stood there, dressed in dark jeans and a nice button-down shirt, holding a bouquet of roses.

"Oh you shouldn't have," I gasped as I took them from him and smelled them.

"I wanted to," he told me as he leaned over to kiss me. At the last second his eyes lifted up and he rotated his head so the kiss landed on my cheek. "Hello Sir," he said as he walked around me with his arm out. My dad had come around the corner and walked toward us, taking Paul's hand in a firm handshake.

"Paul, good to see you again," he said and Paul nodded.

"Thank you for letting me join you for dinner," he said and my dad smiled.

"Well I didn't really have a choice..." I glared at him. "...but you are welcome anytime," he finished before turning to me. "Your mother said dinner's almost ready," he told me and I nodded, turning to Paul.

"We can head into the kitchen and I'll put these in a vase," I told him as I lead the way through the archway and into the kitchen. "Look what Paul brought me," I told my mom as I held the bouquet up.

"Oh aren't those lovely!" my mom said as she reached up into the cupboard and pulled a large crystal vase down. "Why don't you put them in this vase?" she suggested and I took it from her, heading to the sink to pour water in it. "So Paul, how have you been?" my mom asked, making polite conversation.

"Pretty good," he said. "I've spent the past couple days shoveling the driveways and sidewalks of some of the people on the Res," he said. I smiled at him as I put the roses in the vase and then walked into the dining room to set them on the table.

"Dinner's ready," my mom said as she carried a dish into the dining room behind me. "Why don't you go get your brother and sister?" she asked and I sighed before walking over to the stairs.

"Tyler! Natalie! Dinner!" I shouted before walking back to the dining room. My mom had given up her usual spot at the foot of the table and Paul was currently sitting down in her seat. I sat to his left as my mom sat across from me. My dad walked in and sat at the head of the table and not long after we heard the pounding footsteps of my siblings.

"Beat ya!" Natalie shouted as she ran into the room and then slowed when she realized we had company.

"Sit down, we're hungry," my dad told her as she pulled herself up into her chair. Tyler followed and walked over to his own chair.

"How was practice?" my mom asked me as she passed around the green beans.

"Eh, okay. Andre's getting stricter as it gets closer to the competition. He really worked us hard today," I said as I took a roll and passed it to Paul. "Oh and Chris and I stopped over to see Christine. She finished the final touches on my costume and it'll be ready tomorrow for me to pick up." My dad sighed.

"What's the damage this time?" he asked and I smiled sheepishly at him.

"$245 plus tax," I said and he sighed. Paul looked at me with wide eyes.

"That's what it costs for your outfit?" he asked and I nodded. "How often do you have to get a new one?"

"For every new routine, so basically for every competition," I told him and his eyebrows rose.

"Wow that's insane," he said and I nodded. "But I forgot, your competitions coming up this week right?" I nodded.

"Do you think you two will be ready?" my dad asked and I nodded.

"I think so. The routine's drilled into our heads so much we could do it with our eyes closed."

"What song are you doing it to?" Natalie asked as she stuffed a piece of steak in her mouth.

"Natalie please don't talk with your mouth full," my mom interrupted. Natalie apologized and then looked to me for my answer.

"'Your Song.' We're doing the Moulin Rouge version because it has really dramatic music which makes our tosses and jumps seem more intense," I explained.

"Will you be needing a ride to the competition Paul?" my mom asked and Paul looked at her, then me.

"I don't know. Natasha didn't say anything about me coming," he said and my mom glared at me.

"I didn't know if you'd want to. You don't have to. It's a long drive just to see me skate for four minutes," I told him and he shrugged.

"I'd like to see you skate in a competition," he said. "Does it cost anything?" I shook my head.

"No, it's free to the public," I said and he nodded before turning to my mom.

"I don't think I'll be needing a ride. I might see if a couple of my friends want to drive up with me," he told her before looking at me again. "Maybe Jared and Kim'll come," he said and I smiled.

"I really like Kim," I told him.

"Oh so do I," my mom added. "She was such a sweet girl when she came over here to help with..." my mom trailed off with a glance in Paul's direction before clearing her throat and going back to her food. Talk about making things awkward.

"Can I sleep over Jeanna's house next Friday?" Natalie asked and my mom looked at her.

"I don't think we'll be back from Natasha's competition by then. What about Saturday?" Natalie squinted in thought before nodding.

"Dad I need to use your calculator after dinner," Tyler said. "We're working on fractions and the calculator I have isn't doing the math right." My dad nodded.

"It's in my office, we can get it after we finish eating," he said and Tyler nodded.

* * *

After dinner, I attempted to help my mom clear the table but she shooed Paul and I into the living room, telling me she could handle it on her own.

"I can see where you get your cooking skills," Paul said as we sat down on the couch. I grinned.

"She's better than I am," I told him but he shook his head.

"You just need more practice," he told me. Then he leaned in to give me a kiss, "And I'll eat my breakfasts every day without complaint," he said and I felt my stomach flutter.

It was weird to think that Paul was my soul mate. We had only known each other for a little over two weeks and I already knew we were destined to be together forever. The thought made my mind wander. I wondered when he would propose. Would he wait a few years until we had been dating for an acceptable amount of time? Or would he do it at any time? What would my parents think? I had to admit the idea of marrying him made me feel excited. The rest of my life with Paul sounded wonderful.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing, just mentally prepping for the competition," I lied and he nodded.

"You'll do fine. You're a great skater." I scoffed.

"So are all the other couples," I reminded him and he shrugged as if what I had said was nothing.

"You're better," he told me and I smiled. Then he glanced up at the clock. 7:30. "I should probably get going," he said and I frowned.

"Why?" I asked and he laughed.

"You're cute when you pout," he told me and I blushed. Then he turned sober. "Sam thinks the bloodsucker's gonna try to get back on the Res so he's upped the patrol. I go on at nine so I need to get a little sleep before that happens," he told me and I nodded.

We both stood up and I walked him to the door.

"I like your family," he told me and I smiled.

"Good, because eventually they'll be your family too," I reminded him and he grinned, pulling me in for a sweet kiss.

"I love you," he whispered and I smiled.

"I love you too," I told him before shutting the door behind him. I paused to take a deep breath before turning and heading back to the kitchen.

"Where's Paul?" my mom asked when I walked in.

"Oh, he had to go. He has to work at nine and he wanted to get a nap in before he started," I told her as I picked up the dish towel and began drying.

"What's he do for a job?" my mom asked and I panicked, hoping I didn't show it.

"Uh, security," I told her. "On the Res." She nodded.

"So I bet he works a lot of evening shifts," she said.

"Yeah. A lot of nights he works all night. It kinda stinks for him," I told her as she handed me another dish.

"It'll be exciting having him at the competition," she said and I sighed.

"Yeah, if I skate well," I said and she turned to me.

"Honey, you will skate perfectly," she told me as she took the towel from me to dry the last dish.

"I sure hope you're right," I told her as I walked out of the room.

* * *

_So what did y'all think? Let me know by pressing that little button down there and reviewing. I'd appreciate it so much!!!!_


	14. Chapter 13

So I'm super sorry my posting has been slack as of late. As if my guy problems weren't enough, my best friend and I got in a SUPER huge fight about one of said guys. It was NOT pretty, but it's all okay now. Anyway, that's taken up most of my week but now I'm back with another chapter!! Hope you guys enjoy it, but first...review responses!!!!!!

_**danie568**- Yeah, watching the figure skating on tv is definitely making me think of this story too haha. I've written almost all of it but when I watch the figure skating, I keep thinking "Ohhh, maybe I should do that music" or "Oh I really like her outfit! I bet Natasha would look good in that!" haha_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Wow. Don't worry, that won't happen haha._

_**Musik Drache**-Guy drama sucks. Especially when the three guys are all in the same fraternity, so they all keep talking about you and then you get all paranoid. Oh, AND everyone in the fraternity knows who you are because of all the talk, and every time you go over there the other guys all kinda just smirk at each other and it REALLY makes you paranoid!_

_**Sammybaby0809**- I'm glad I could change your mind haha. This story was really fun to write, although I probably shouldn't have written it. I put so much important stuff on the backburner for this hahahahahaha. Oh well!_

_**sianybox**- Thanks. That part will be coming up soon, don't worry! And technically, isn't he doing security on the Res?_

_**Skyler1510**, **Kishasho123**, **EvenstarSinger**, and **Funkysam94**- Thanks so much for reviewing!!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul's cell phone rang just as he turned onto the road leading to his house. Carefully pulling it out of his pocket, he juggled it between his hands and the steering wheel.

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned the radio down. It was Jacob.

"Seth came across a fresh trail heading south so Sam took Embry, Leah, Seth, Brady, and Collin down to track it. You and I are off the hook tonight," Jacob said and Paul nearly jumped for joy.

"Seriously?" he double checked and Jacob made a noise of confirmation.

"Yep, so you can go back to Natasha," he laughed and Paul frowned.

"I'm not with Natasha," he said and Jacob sighed.

"But I know you were most likely just with her and you probably left early for patrol right?"

"Yeah..." Paul said slowly and Jacob laughed again.

"So go back. You don't have to do duty for the next twelve hours at least," he told Paul before hanging up the phone. Paul frowned before flipping his phone shut and looking for the nearest driveway to turn around in. Jacob was always slightly awkward on the phone. It made Paul dread phone calls from him; however this was one phone call he'd love to get from anybody.

Just as he was about to turn his truck around, he stopped and put on the brake.

If he turned around and drove back to Natasha's house, he could probably only stay for another hour at the most. If he drove his car home and then phased to run back, he could potentially climb through her window and be able to spend the whole night with her.

Opting for the second choice, he took his foot off the break and continued on his drive home, speeding a little in his eagerness to get back to Natasha.

When he got to his house, he ran inside to grab his sweatpants and brush his teeth before heading outside to phase. Stopping to strip off his clothes, he tied his sweatpants to his leg before phasing into his wolf form. Letting lose a deep, long howl, he took off in the direction of Quillayute and Natasha.

After the ten minute run he found himself standing on all fours in her backyard. Looking up to her window, he saw that her bedroom light was on. He was even sure he saw her shadow moving around.

Phasing back to his human form while making sure he stayed hidden in the trees, he put on his sweatpants before pulling out his cell phone.

'open your window'

He sent the text and then stood there in the trees, waiting to see whether she obliged or responded to his text. They both happened simultaneously. As he watched her open her window, his phone buzzed in his hand.

'why? where are you?'

He grinned before typing a quick response.

'below your window. I'm coming up'

Putting his phone back in his pocket, he didn't even wait for a response from her before he walked into her yard and visually measured the distance from the ground to her window. Luckily the roof over the kitchen was only one story high. Winding himself up, he easily pounced up onto the first roof, making absolutely no noise as he landed.

"Paul!" came the harsh whisper of Natasha. Paul looked up to see Natasha leaning out her window. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!" she said, never raising her voice above a whisper.

"No I won't," he told her as he checked the distance again. "Now watch out, I'm coming in."

"Paul," Natasha said again but it was more of a plea than a demand. Ignoring her, he took a running step and leaped into the air, slipping right through her window to land with a very soft thud on her carpet. "Paul!" she whispered harshly, then frowned when she realized he had made no noise that would make her parents suspicious.

"Natasha," he whispered back in a mocking tone as he turned to shut the window behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asked him while crossing her arms. "If my parents find you in here they'll kill both of us." He turned to her.

"Does your door have a lock?" he asked and she nodded. "Just lock it. As soon as they attempt to open it, I'm gone." She didn't look convinced. "Baby, my wolf reflexes will have me out the window before they finish turning the doorknob," he stated before sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. "Please?" She sighed.

"Fine, but if anything happens, I'm killing you," she said as she walked into the bathroom. "Oh and no sex. My whole family's right down the hall," she reminded him before shutting the door behind her.

While she was gone, Paul took his phone out of his pocket and set it on her bedside stand before sitting down on her bed. It was a twin and he grinned as he imagined what they would look like trying to share it.

After looking at the bed for a minute, he turned his head and took in her room. It was very girly, the walls painted pink and the carpet a soft cream. All along the top of her dresser were pink, silver, and blue picture frames filled with different photos. Natasha with her neck draped in medals. A very young Natasha with two other girls, all three in their skating costumes with huge grins on their faces.

"My two best friends at the old rink back home," Natasha's voice came from across the room and Paul jumped. He hadn't even heard her open the door. "Lizzy and Ann. The three of us were inseparable all through lessons. We skated against each other in singles up until I left. We had so much fun competing against each other," she said as she came over to sit next to him.

"What are they doing now?" Paul asked and Natasha shrugged.

"Not sure. I hear from Lizzy occasionally. I know they're both still doing singles but I don't know anything else," she said with a shrug and Paul turned to look at her.

"You miss them," he said and she nodded.

"I miss having friends. Now when I compete, it's all about the competition. Besides Chris, I'm not on friendly terms with anyone at the events."

"You have me and the guys," Paul reminded her. "And Kim." She grinned.

"That's true..." she said as her grin widened."I do have Kim." Paul rolled his eyes before grabbing her and pulling her down to lay beside him.

"I like your pajamas," he told her as he stroked her side. She blushed as she looked down subconsciously. She was wearing a pair of short white shorts with little red hearts on them and a red tank top. "Much better than my clothes," he said with a deep chuckle. Natasha shrugged.

"I don't know. There was something about wearing your clothes that made sleeping more fun," she said with a smile before leaning in for a kiss.

"Mhm," he said against her mouth before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in deeper to him.

* * *

Paul woke to the sun peeking through Natasha's curtains. Yawning, he glanced down and smiled. Natasha was sprawled across his stomach, her head resting on his chest and her arm draped over his side. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:45. Sure enough, not even a minute later, Natasha's clock switched to 7:45 and the alarm began to go off. With a sigh, Natasha rolled off of him and sat up, yawning.

"Morning," he told her with a smile as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

"Good morning," she said sleepily as she turned off her alarm and climbed over Paul to get out of bed. "How did you sleep?" she asked as she walked over to check herself in her mirror.

"Okay, my legs are a little sore from the small bed but being with you definitely made it better," he said with a grin and she blushed. "You have practice at nine?" She nodded. "Then I'll get out of your way," he told her as he stood up and went over to the window.

"Don't go," Natasha said with a sad frown and Paul laughed, walking forward to ruffle her hair and pull her into a hug.

"I'll see you later tonight. What do you want to do?" he asked and she thought for a second before responding.

"Movie night. We can do it here. You bring the pizza and I'll supply the movie," she smiled up at him and he grinned before kissing her on the top of the head.

"Sounds good. Now go get ready. Don't want to be late to practice," he turned her around and slapped her behind lightly to send her on her way to the bathroom. She turned to frown at him but he just laughed again and turned to open the window.

"Love you," Natasha said and Paul turned to her after climbing on to the roof.

"Love you too," he said before disappearing out the window. Landing on the ground, he jogged into the woods before taking off his sweatpants and phasing. Then he took off for home, wondering how long it would be before Sam called a meeting to update everyone on the bloodsucker.

* * *

Paul wasn't surprised that his cell phone had two missed calls from Sam by the time he got home and phased. Going inside, he put his cell on speaker phone before going to the fridge to grab something to eat.

"Paul we're having a meeting at my house at nine. There's something different about this vampire and so the Cullens are coming too. This is me telling you now not to be stupid. Don't get angry, and don't make us lose this agreement we have. See you at nine."

With a sigh, Paul set down his plate stacked with frozen waffles and put two in the toaster before deleting Sam's message. Sending a text so Sam would know he was coming, he went into the living room to turn on the TV before coming back in to take the two ready waffles out and put two more in. When they were all done, he stacked them all on a plate, covered them in butter and syrup, and headed in to watch TV. He had almost an hour before he had to be at Sam's. He had plenty of time to relax.

After finishing breakfast Paul went to the bathroom to wash up a bit. Then he grabbed a clean pair of shorts to slip on before glancing at the clock. He had ten minutes to get to Sam's. He could sit around for a little longer and then phase and run over there, or he could leave now and drive. He chose the drive option. This way he wouldn't have to phase in the woods and change into his shorts. Overall it seemed easier, and Paul was feeling extra lazy this morning.

Upon arriving at Sam's house, he parked his car behind the sleek black Mercedes. In front of the Mercedes was a large silver jeep. Making his way past the unfamiliar vehicles and inside, he came to a stop just inside the door and inwardly winced at the smell.

Sitting around the kitchen table were Quil, Embry, Collin, Brady, and Seth. Leah was sitting on the counter and Jacob was leaning against the fridge. Sam stood in the middle of the room, facing five of the Cullens: Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Alice, and Emmett.

"About time," Quil said when he noticed Paul walk in. He glanced at the clock above Emily's oven. 9:02.

"Seriously?" he asked Quil with an annoyed tone before sitting down and grabbing a muffin off of the large platter. "So what's the scoop?" The other werewolves glared at him. "What?" he asked under his breath as he took a bite of the muffin.

"As we were saying," Sam said as he turned back to Carlisle. "The trail this vampire is leaving is unusual. She just seems to be wandering around. She doesn't necessarily seem to be looking for something..."

"And she hasn't been killing either," Jacob added and Paul looked around as a couple of the others nodded. "There haven't been any deaths in the area that look to be from vampires." Sam nodded.

"At least no known deaths, but it is suspicious," he turned back to the Cullens and Carlisle frowned in thought before speaking.

"That is peculiar, although it may make more sense after we hear what Alice has to say," he turned to Alice and motioned for her to speak.

Paul never really cared for Alice much. He didn't like the fact that her whole family seemed to rely on her for everything. Sure it came in handy that she could see the future, but it still annoyed him. He mostly didn't like her however, because she didn't care for them either. She didn't like them because she couldn't see them, making it hard for her to tell the future. He did like the fact that the pack annoyed her though. It gave him a sense of accomplishment.

"Well," Alice said as she took a step forward. "I haven't been able to see a lot, but when she crosses your territory and into Forks I've been able to see a little of what she's doing. She's looking for a place to settle." Her comment caught everyone by surprise. Everyone except the Cullens but she had probably told them beforehand. "She hasn't approached us because she knows of our lifestyle. Instead she's taking the fact that we don't kill humans happily because she feels that it will be easier for them to find humans to kill here."

"As if," Seth said quietly and Collin and Brady high fived him. Sam shot them a look and they shut up.

"Doesn't she know about us?" Sam asked and Alice nodded.

"She figured it out the first time she ran into you. She's trying to find a place to settle in Forks but she's nervous that if she settles too close to us we'll confront her..."

"Which is true," Carlisle said and Paul watched as Emmett cracked his knuckles. He felt that Emmett was the closest to him. No nonsense, ready to fight for anything, and tough. If he were stupid enough to be actual friends with a vampire, he knew Emmett would be most likely to play the role.

"Yes but she knows that so she won't settle in Forks," Alice said before closing her eyes and concentrating.

"If she picks someplace nearby that's not Forks, would you be willing to help us get her to leave if needed?" Edward asked and Sam nodded. "We want to ask her to leave politely first but if she refuses, we may need help."

"If it came to that, we would be more than willing to do our part," Sam stated and then everyone quieted as they turned back to watch Alice. After a few minutes she opened her eyes again.

"She'll go to Canada," she said calmly and everyone in the room visibly relaxed. "She'll stay in Vancouver while she waits for her mate and then they'll head North-East a little more until they get to Calgary." Paul frowned and began to shake, clenching his fists.

"Vancouver?" he asked and everyone looked at him. "When will they be in Vancouver?" Alice closed her eyes again for only a few seconds.

"They'll give up sometime tomorrow morning and head north then. They'll arrive in Vancouver late tomorrow night." Paul shook harder and the rest of the pack immediately looked alarmed.

"Paul!" Sam shouted. "What's wrong? Calm down." The last part Sam said in his commanding Alpha voice and Paul's shaking immediately calmed.

"Natasha's heading to Vancouver Wednesday. I'm going with her to watch her compete," he explained and Sam sighed.

"Are you sure you both have to go?" he asked and Paul nodded.

"Natasha's been looking forward to this competition for weeks. She's not about to just drop out-" Paul started but Jacob cut him off.

"Not even under threat of death? If the vampire gets wind that a werewolf's imprint is in the area-"

"I'm not letting her go alone. I won't let her out of my sight if that's what it takes," Paul took over the conversation again and Jacob stopped talking, shutting his mouth with a scowl.

"Well who wants to go with Paul?" Sam asked and Paul turned to glare at him. "Given past occurrences, I am not allowing you to go by yourself without at least two members of the pack with you," Sam told him and Paul rolled his eyes but accepted the facts.

"I'll go," Jacob said, raising his hand.

"Me too," Jared put in and Embry nodded with a smirk.

"No way am I missing this," he said and Paul rolled his eyes again as Sam nodded.

"Then it's settled. Paul, Jacob, Jared, and Embry will head up to Vancouver on Wednesday. Try not to confront the vampire unless she starts it," Jacob nodded as Embry groaned.

"Why not?" he asked in a disappointed tone and Sam frowned.

"Because Vancouver is not our land. You will do as you're told," Sam added in his Alpha voice and they guys nodded, knowing there was no way they could disobey now.

"Well, if that's settled we'll be heading out," Carlisle said. "If you find anything new, let us know. Likewise, we'll keep you updated if the vampire changes her mind in any way." Sam nodded as he walked forward to shake Carlisle's hand.

"Thank you," he said before the Cullens turned and left the house, walking back to the car. When they were gone, Sam turned back to his pack.

"Paul, you need to explain everything to Natasha as soon as you're able to," he said and Paul nodded.

"She has practice until four but we're planning on hanging out after that. I'll tell her everything then."

"Good. Seth, Collin, and Brady I want the three of you doing continuous patrols around the area. We know this vampire plans to leave tomorrow but until then I want constant surveillance in case she changes her mind and Alice can't see it coming. Leah and Embry I want you two to take turns phasing and staying nearby so if something happens those three can tell you and you can call me. Jacob, Jared, and Paul you three have off until you leave for Vancouver unless something goes wrong. Keep your phones nearby in case that happens."

"Sounds good," Jacob said as everyone stood up. The meeting was unofficially over but most of the pack usually stayed to eat the rest of the food. With too much on his mind to care about eating, Paul stood up and stormed out of the house. As his anger over the situation built, he knew it was only a matter of time before he phased.

* * *

_Bum bum BUM...So the vampire's going to Vancouver...and Natasha and Paul are going to Vancouver...What do you think's gonna happen!? Review and tell me!! I want to see how many people guess it right!!!!_


	15. Chapter 14

_Hey guys! My boy problems are getting better...a little. As I get in a better mood because of this, I've decided to post another chapter!!!_

_**jblc77**- You may just be right... ;)_

_**coffee14**- I didn't really want the Cullens in this story but I knew if I included a vampire, I had to include them. I'm glad you like how I incorporated them!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Haha no, that's not on my agenda for this story lol. Sorry._

_**spannieren**- Thanks. Yeah, I think if they were my parents, they'd be pissed that I was still staying with him after he made me so upset but I think that part of the imprint thing is that it's very obvious she loves him. Because it's so obvious, her parents are more willing to accept him._

_**Kshasho123**- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it!_

_**Musik Drache**- Yeah, boys suck. That's what this past week has taught me haha Don't worry, I personally don't enjoy the stories where a werewolf's love interest turns into a vampire. It just doesn't do it for me. She won't get bitten, but I can't promise something won't happen to her..._

_**ally leigh**- I'm glad you like my story. Your review meant a lot to me! It's nice to know that someone can stumble across my story and really enjoy it. And I'm glad you think Natasha is different. I tried to make her different but sometimes it's hard, especially if you read a scene from another story and then subconsiouly put a little of it in your own._

* * *

NATASHA:

I was having a hard time concentrating on the road as I drove to the rink. Last night had been so nice I couldn't help but repeat it all in my head.

At first I had been nervous about Paul sleeping over. If my parents had walked in on us or somehow found out he was there, I would have been in deep trouble. I probably would never be allowed to see Paul again, and that was not an overstatement.

After I had accepted that he was staying and had curled up next to him, I found myself suddenly wide awake. Lying next to him in my bed was a whole different experience all together and I didn't want to miss any of it. He fell asleep almost instantly so I lay there and watched his chest slowly rise and fall. He slept with his mouth slightly open and I stared at his lips, resisting the urge to kiss them. I didn't want to wake him up when he looked so peaceful. Plus, I didn't think I could handle kissing him just once and I didn't want to be the one to break my own "no sex" rule.

Finally giving into my drowsiness, I curled up next to him and nestled my head onto his chest. Comfortably draping one of my legs across one of his, I closed my eyes and sighed before drifting off.

My alarm woke me up at 7:45. I was so comfortable I didn't want to wake up. I sighed, knowing Andre wouldn't buy that excuse to why I showed up late at practice. Rolling off of Paul, I sat up and yawned before looking down to take him in.

He was bare-chested, looking very masculine and handsome, despite the fact that he was laying in my pink sheets. He smiled as we locked eyes.

"Morning," he said and I sleepily responded while my eyes tried to adjust to the light. "How did you sleep?" I asked him as I ungracefully climbed over him and walked over to check myself in the mirror. Yes, he was my boyfriend and would always love me but that didn't keep me from being self conscious about how I looked around him.

"Okay, my legs are a little sore from the small bed but being with you definitely made it better," he told me, grinning. I blushed, which of course was exactly what he was waiting for. "You have practice at nine?" he asked in a tone that told me he was pleased that his plan to make me blush had worked. I just nodded. "Then I'll get out of your way," he said, standing up and walking over to the window.

"Don't go," I said with a sad frown as I took a step toward him. I didn't want him to leave. I had a fleeting fantasy that Paul was able to stay in my room forever so he would always be here when I needed him; and of course I would always need him.

He laughed at my frown and walked over to ruffle my hair before pulling me in for a hug.

"I'll see you later tonight. What do you want to do?" he asked and I thought for a second. It felt weird to try and plan dates with Paul; mostly because in my mind we were past the date part of our relationship. I didn't need to go out to nice restaurants and movie theaters to spend time with him. Cuddling on the couch with pizza and a movie suited me just fine.

"Movie night," I said quickly, knowing it was the perfect thing to do. "We can do it here. You bring the pizza and I'll supply the movie," I told him with a smile and he grinned before kissing the top of my head. I liked when he did that. It made me feel safe, if that made sense.

"Sounds good," he said as he let go of me and took a step back. "Now go get ready. Don't want to be late to practice," he turned me around and then slapped my butt to send me in the direction of the bathroom. I turned to him with a frown but he responded by laughing as he turned to open the window.

"Love you," I told him as he climbed out onto the roof. He turned to look at me.

"Love you too," he said before turning back around and disappearing from my view. I hurried to the window just in time to see him jog into the woods behind my house. Sighing, I shut and locked my window before going to the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

At the rink I was able to concentrate more on my skating than on Paul, something I wouldn't think was possible. Andre surprised us when Chris and I got there by sending us directly to the weight room. There, he forced us to work out for two hours straight. By the time 11 o'clock came around I was sweating bullets and was really regretting the time I had spent getting ready this morning.

"Hit the showers and meet on the ice in fifteen minutes. We're running drills," Andre said as he stood up from his seat on one of the vacant weight machines. I toweled my face off as I headed to the locker room, wondering how my exhausted body was going to handle an hour of drills.

Fifteen minutes later I found myself cooled down and slowly skating around the rink, getting reacquainted with my skates before Andre started the drills.

Drills with Andre were difficult and something I did not look forward to. Chris and I were required to go through our tosses, spins, jumps, and other tricks at the pace of a military boot camp. Instead of going through the whole routine, we did the tricks one after the other as fast as we could. Andre watched and called out every tiny detail. One mistake and we had to start all over again. I knew I'd be needing another shower before our afternoon practice.

* * *

"This is torture," Chris said as he sat down by me on the bleachers. It was our lunch break and both of us were dripping in sweat. I wanted a shower so badly but if I took a shower before I ate, my food wouldn't have enough time to settle and I'd most likely end up puking on the ice. Not fun, let me tell you.

"Yeah I know," I said as I bit into my apple. Chris pulled out his water bottle and downed half of it in one gulp.

"It's days like this that make me want to quit," he said and my head spun to look at him in shock. He grinned and nudged me with his shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't," he told me and I relaxed and turned back to my meal.

"Good. Don't scare me like that," I told him and he sighed, looking out at the ice.

"So how are things with you and Paul?" he asked and I felt my forehead wrinkle. He usually didn't like to bring conversations like this up.

"Really well. He's coming to Vancouver," I told him and he sighed with a smirk at me.

"Does that mean he'll constantly be with us?" he asked and I grinned.

"No, he won't be on the ice," I joked and he laughed.

"He's good though right? There haven't been any other...misunderstandings have there?" he asked and I shook my head with a smile.

"Nope. It's perfect. He's really great Chris; I think you'd like him if you got to know him more," I told him and Chris shrugged.

"Who knows, maybe I'll get to know him better while we're in Vancouver. When's he coming up?" Now it was my turn to shrug.

"Not sure. We still have to talk about it. I think he said a couple of the guys might come with him too so I guess it depends on their schedules too."

"Great. A bunch of huge La Push guys following us everywhere," he said sarcastically and I frowned at him.

"They're really nice, I wish you'd realize that," I told him and he sighed, standing up.

"I wish you'd realize that guys like that don't usually treat other guys as nicely as they treat girls," he told me as he walked down a step. "I'm gonna go shower. See you on the ice in 30?" I nodded and he walked away.

With a small scowl, I looked around to make sure Andre was nowhere in sight before fishing out my phone and texting Paul.

'you'll be nice to Chris in Vancouver right?'

It took a couple minutes for him to respond. By then I was finished with my lunch and was heading to the trash can to throw my trash away.

'yeah why? And i have to talk to you tonight.'

I gulped at the last statement. Talk to me about what? At least I knew he couldn't be breaking up with me. I was his imprint and although I didn't understand the whole thing, I understood that I was it. I was the one for him.

'he's nervous you'll hog me and he'll have no one to hang with. Talk about what?'

I headed into the locker room and grabbed a shower, setting my shampoo and soap on the shelf. I heard my phone buzz so I turned the water on so it could warm up before checking his text.

'it can wait. Don't worry :) He can hang with us...as long as he's not an ass.'

I sighed before texting him that I had to go and then stripping off my clothes before stepping in the shower. The warm water enveloped me and I sighed with pleasure at how I could practically feel my tired, stressed, body be replaced by a rejuvenated one.

The afternoon practice was filled with our routine. We skated through the routine three times, then sat down with Andre and discussed any small thing that we felt needed work for any reason. When I voiced my opinion about being uncomfortable with my landing after the second twist lift, Andre made us practice it slowly on the ice a couple times until I felt okay with it. Then we practiced just the segment with the lift so I could get comfortable with it in context. Soon, I was able to land it perfectly with a wide smile on my face.

When we were finished with that, Andre made us run through our whole routine five more times before calling it a day. After he left, Chris and I practiced the twist lift three more times on our own, just to make sure it still worked right.

"We will definitely win on Friday," I told Chris as we walked over to the locker rooms when we finally finished.

"I have no doubt you're right," he replied before we split up and went through our doors.

"Don't forget to stop at Christine's!" I called out to him and I heard him shout back an 'alright!' before the door completely shut behind me.

Hoping to beat him there, I quickly changed into my street clothes before rebrushing my hair and sliding on my boots. Putting on my coat, I checked myself in the mirror before heading out the door and down the hallway to the doors leading to the parking lot.

"Bitch!" I heard Chris shout teasingly as I drove past him and turned out of the parking lot. Waving in his direction, I then turned to focus on the road. The last thing I needed was to get in an accident the day before I left for Vancouver.

"Natasha darling!" Christine called when I walked through the door. "I have your costume all ready for you," she said cheerfully as she appeared behind the counter, holding the black garment bag out over the counter. I walked up to her and took it, draping it over my shoulder as I pulled out my checkbook.

"How much was it again?" I asked as I filled out the date and Christine's name.

"$245 plus tax so that's..." she pressed a few buttons on the cash register. "$260.93." I wrote the number on the check and then signed it before handing it to her.

"Thanks so much," I told her before turning only to almost bump into Chris in the doorway.

"Hey," he said in an attempt to be smooth although I could tell he had run from the parking lot.

"Hey," I said with a laugh before turning around. "Thanks again Christine!" I called before walking out the door and to my car. I glanced at the clock as I turned the key to start the engine.

4:33

I had planned to have Paul come over around five so while my car was still in park, I texted him to tell him anytime after five was fine with me. Then I put the car in drive and headed home. My legs were in serious need of some ice.

* * *

"How was practice?" my mom asked as I walked through the door. I groaned. "I made sure the freezer was stocked with ice before I left for work this morning," she told me and I smiled at her before heading into the kitchen and collapsing on one of the kitchen chairs.

"He made us lift for the first two hours. Then he made us run drills. After lunch we did some fine tuning to the choreography and then he let us go. I had to take three showers today: one after lifting, one after drills, and one at the end of the day. I am so exhausted." My mom grinned as she handed me a couple plastic bags filled with ice. I balanced my legs on the opposite chair and set the ice on top.

"Well at least you're squeaky clean," my mom said and I sighed while she laughed. "Do you have any plans for dinner?" my mom asked and I nodded.

"Yeah Paul's bringing over pizza and we're watching a movie. Is that okay?" I asked and she nodded. "Why? What did you have planned?"

"Oh nothing. I was thinking maybe we could all go out to dinner or something but it's okay. Tyler got good grades on his report card so I wanted to celebrate but we can go without you, if you don't mind," I shook my head.

"No that's fine. I'm not really in the mood to leave the house anyway," I told her.

"You and Paul seem to be getting pretty serious," she randomly stated as she put the tea kettle on the stove and turned the burner on.

"Yeah I guess," I said, hoping I wasn't blushing. She turned to me.

"I just want you to be careful. Don't get in too deep too soon. Sometimes guys have different things on their minds in relationships and I just want to make sure you and him are on the same page," I sighed and resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"We are. We've talked about it all. It's fine, I promise. And if anything changes, I'll talk to you." My mom seemed pleased with my promise because she smiled and leaned over to kiss me on the top of my head.

"I love you and I am so proud of you," she told me before walking into the dining room.

"I love you too mom," I called to her. She walked back in carrying the vase with my roses in it and proceeded to dump out the water before beginning to re-trim the ends.

"Are you excited about Vancouver?" she asked as she worked.

"Yeah. Chris and I both think we'll win. We're pretty confident actually."

"Just make sure you don't get overly confident. I've been there before and it's never any fun," she said as she set the roses back in the vase and then poured more water in. "Nationals when I was 16. I had practiced so hard I told myself no one could beat me. It got to the point that I snubbed other people, walking into the competition too cocky."

"What happened?" I asked even though I was sure I had heard this story multiple times before.

"I slipped on a double salchow and came down hard on my right thigh. The points I got deducted for that fall were what lost me first, second, and third place." The kettle started to whistle so she went over and turned the burner off. "Want tea?" she asked as she grabbed a tea bag out of the canister.

We both stayed silent as I thought over what she had said. As a skater, I could fully understand what she was getting at. There was more to lose than medals and titles. One wrong move and I could break my leg. One poor landing and I could be done with skating forever. Every time I skated, I risked my career. Chris and I couldn't get over confident about the competition. Bad things happened when you got cocky.

The doorbell caught me off guard and I jumped, nearly knocking over the cup of tea I hadn't noticed my mom set in front of me.

"I'll get it," she said with a nod toward my still icing legs. I smiled to her as I took a sip of my tea and tried to make myself look less painful. "She's in the kitchen," I heard my mom say as two sets of footsteps came closer. I knew it was Paul before he came in the room. I had known it would be him as soon as I heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey," I said as he walked in and stopped, his eyes zooming in to my legs.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. I shrugged.

"We worked really hard today, that's all. Did you bring the pizza?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I ordered it before I left so it would be fresh. It'll be here in fifteen," he said. I pulled the two ice bags off of my legs and then stood up to head to the living room. Paul was immediately at my side and I sighed.

"It's okay, my legs are just a little sore. I'm not going to like, fall or anything," I told him as we walked.

"I'm just overly cautious when it comes to you," he whispered in my ear and I felt shivers travel down my spine. He must have noticed because when I turned to face him he was grinning with satisfaction.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?" I asked in an attempt to change the topic. Paul frowned. "What is it?" I asked as I sat down next to him on the couch.

"Well..." he said as he looked me straight in the eyes."There's sort of a situation. The bloodsucker we've been tracking recently has decided to settle in Vancouver." I looked at him.

"Vancouver?" I asked and he nodded. "What does that mean?"

"It means Jared, Embry, and Jacob will be coming with us to Vancouver," he said and I nodded.

"Kim too?" I asked but he shook his head and I frowned. "Why not? I wanted a girl there to help me put up with all your testosterone," I tried to joke but he stayed serious.

"Jared won't put Kim in danger like that. She'll be staying back here on the Res where the pack can watch her and she'll be safe." I looked at him, all trace of joking gone.

"Is it really that serious?" I asked and he nodded.

"Natasha bloodsuckers kill people. That's what they do; they go to cities and kill people to drink their blood. This bloodsucker has been travelling for days and, from what we can tell, not feeding. That means she's going to be extremely thirsty when she gets to Vancouver. With the large population of people at the competition, she could find it easier to pick people off," my eyes widened and he leaned in. "She could get you, and I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening," he told me and I took both of his hands in mine.

"Paul, I'm scared," I told him, looking up to lock eyes. I seriously was. Just a few weeks ago this all was make believe but now it was real life. I was going someplace where a fierce, dangerous vampire was on the loose and I was just as likely to get killed by her as any other person.

"Don't be scared," Paul said as he pulled me into a hug. "I don't plan on letting you out of my sight the entire time we're up there," he said as he stroked my hair.

"But you can't always be with me," I told him, pulling away. "I know you want to protect me from everything but sometimes you just can't. You can't always be there, it's just not possible," I told him but he shook his head.

"I can be there for this, and I will. I'm not going to let anything happen to you in Vancouver unless it involves winning a nice first place medal," he told me sincerely and I smiled, leaning forward to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I love you," I told him softly and he smiled.

"I love you too," he told me as he leaned in for another kiss. When the kiss broke, I realized we had been quiet for a while, something which my mom might find suspicious. Standing up, I walked over to the TV.

"What movie do you want to watch?" I asked him as I attempted to level the nervousness in my voice. I didn't want him to realize just how scared I was about this new information. He shrugged.

"I supply the pizza, you supply the movie remember? I held up my end of the bargain, you hold up yours," he stated and I sighed.

"I didn't pick one yet," I told him and he grinned. Just then the doorbell rang, indicating the arrival of the pizza.

"Well looks like you have work to do," he stated and I nodded before squatting in front of the movie shelf while he headed to the door. As I was halfway between Titanic and The Departed, Natalie came running down the stairs shouting:

"I want to watch Enchanted! Enchanted, Enchanted, Enchanted!" I rolled my eyes as Paul walked back to the couch with the large pizza box.

"Sorry about my obnoxious sister," I said as Natalie ran into the room and jumped on the couch with Paul. Paul grinned as Natalie wiggled her legs which were too short to go over the couch cushion.

"It's okay," Paul said, turning to Natalie. "What's Enchanted?" he asked and Natalie gasped dramatically.

"You've never seen Enchanted?" she asked in a tone that displayed disbelief. I rolled my eyes again as Paul shook his head. "Oh Tasha we have to watch it!" she exclaimed and I shook my head.

"Nope. Paul and I are watching a movie, you are going somewhere else," I said and she pouted out her bottom lip, crossing her arms.

"No," she said sharply and I sighed, standing up to walk over to her.

"Natalie, why are you being a pain?" I asked but Paul cut me off.

"No, I want to watch this Enchanted movie," he said and I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Are you serious?" I asked and he nodded. Natalie turned to him and threw her arms around him excitedly.

"Yay!" I'm going to go put my Giselle shirt on!" she exclaimed before jumping off the couch and taking off up the stairs. "Don't start without me!" she shouted and I sighed.

"You know we don't have to do this," I told Paul as I nestled in next to him on the couch. "We can just tell her to go away. My mom will support us in this," I told him but he shook his head with a smile.

"I want to get to know your family," he told me. "I think watching your sister's favorite movie with her counts as getting to know her." When I still refused to be happy, he pulled me in for a kiss. "We can watch our own movie later," he promised me and I gave in with a smile.

"Fine," I said with a sigh as Natalie came running back downstairs. She was now wearing a bright pink shirt with Princess Giselle on the front of if, surrounded by flowers and little forest animals.

"This is Giselle," she told Paul, holding her shirt out so he could see. I smirked as I put the DVD in and pressed play. Then I walked back to the couch to settle in with Paul. He put his arm around me and we sat back to watch the movie with my sister.

Of course, Natalie sang along with every song. After the song True Loves Kiss, I found myself singing along too. Paul kept chuckling in my ear when I would start singing and then he would squeeze me with his arm. It made me feel good, almost like this was an everyday sort of thing. I liked it.

Halfway through the movie, my mom came in and asked us to pause it.

"Natalie, we're going out to dinner. You need to go upstairs and change into something nicer," my mom said and Natalie pouted.

"Mommy!" she whined. "It was just getting to the good part!" My sister was about to go into one of her tantrums and everyone except Paul knew it.

"Watch out," I whispered to him just before Natalie burst into tears.

"Natalie Rachel Bascov, I want you ready and at the front door in ten minutes or I will tell Daddy and you won't be allowed to go to Jeanna's house next week." My mother knew how to be strict in just the right way. Natalie stopped crying and jumped up, running up the stairs to her room.

"Sorry about her," I told Paul and he shrugged.

"It's okay. I think she's cute," he said and I looked up to see my mom smiling.

"You two go back to your movie. We're meeting your father at the restaurant and we'll be back around eightish," my mom said as she picked up Natalie's socks off the floor and headed up the stairs, most likely to make sure my sister was changing her shirt.

"We can change the movie..." I started as I went to head over to the TV. In response, Paul grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back onto the couch.

"I want to finish this movie," he said and I laughed.

"Are you serious?" I asked and I was shocked when he nodded. "Why?" I laughed out as he pulled me tighter to him.

"Because I like hearing you sing along," he whispered in my ear as he held me down. I blushed at his answer and reached for the remote. "Ah, ah, ah," he scolded but I turned to him.

"I was going to press play," I said and he grinned before letting me go. I pushed the button and then settled back into his arms.

"Bye!" my mom said roughly ten minutes later as she, Tyler, and Natalie headed out the door. Paul and I waved to them and watched as they walked to the car. As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway I turned to Paul. He raised his one eyebrow...and then I launched myself at him.

Needless to say we didn't see the end of Enchanted.

* * *

_So there you have it! Chapter 14!!!! If you enjoyed it, feel free to review! I'd enjoy THAT! For a while I was getting 10-12 reviews per chapter, now I'm down to 7... :( Let's bring the number back up!!!!!!!_


	16. Chapter 15

_I'm so proud of myself!! Another chapter so soon!? I'm impressed with my great skills!!!!!!_

_**jblc77**- I'm glad you think the plot is so much more fun! haha_

_**Brogan6146**- Welcome! Glad you love it! Yeah, I find the angriness extremely sexy too haha. And I love guys who are all tough and angry...but super softies around their girlfriends._

_**danie568**- YES! I DID see the ice dancing!! AMAZING! My friend and I wanted the Canadian kid to just get down on one knee and propose...nothing could be more perfect. And I'm glad you liked the last chapter._

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Thanks for trying to boost my reviews up! It worked!!!! Thanks for offering to promote my story! It means so much to me! And don't worry, your ideas aren't correct...mostly ;)_

_**spannieren**- Thanks for helping bring my reviews up! I LOVE Enchanted! I always sing along so I pictured myself as Natasha in that scene haha._

_**MissEmbryRocks**- I'm really glad you found my story too! Thanks so much!_

_**laurazuleta18**- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think Paul's cute and that Natasha's parents are the best. Haha Lead imprinting on Chris...I never thought of that one before lol_

_**twilightgal4life**- Nice guess...but not right! And I already wrote the routine chapter. I hope you like it...when we get to it haha._

_**starlight5577**- I'VE MISSED READING YOUR CAPS REVIEWS AND RESPONDING IN CAPS!!! MY MIND'S PRETTY FOGGY TOO, IT'S BEEN A BUSY WEEK! HOPE YOUR MIND GETS CLEARED UP! THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!!!_

_**Jenni Drocks**, **Funkysam94**, and **Kishasho123**- Thanks so much for reviewing!_

* * *

PAUL:

Before Paul knew it, it was Wednesday morning and he was frantically packing anything he would need for Vancouver. He knew he should have packed the night before but there was a good basketball game on and he didn't think too much about it. Now they were scheduled to leave in an hour and he still needed to take a shower and drive over to Natasha's to pick her up.

He had offered to drive Natasha up to Vancouver and her parents had eagerly agreed. Both of them were hesitant to take off more days of work than necessary. Tyler and Natalie both couldn't afford to miss too much school either. Her family was scheduled to drive up Friday morning, arriving a few hours before Natasha's competition started.

"Paul!" Jared's voice echoed through the house as he walked through the door. Paul mumbled and incoherent response before going through his dresser drawer to grab a few pairs of boxers. He didn't look up when the three guys walked into the room.

"Somebody didn't pack," Jacob said as he collapsed on Paul's bed.

"Yeah and I still have to take a shower," Paul replied as he tossed a few pairs of socks in the duffle on his bed.

"What have you been doing? Is Natasha around her somewhere?" Embry asked with a laugh and Paul responded by throwing a rolled up pair of socks at him.

"Which car are we taking?" Paul asked as he walked into the bathroom to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Probably mine," Jacob said. "You can ride with Natasha and we'll follow behind. As long as you promise not to drive too fast," he added and Paul looked at him.

"I won't," he said. "Okay, now I'm just gonna hop in the shower. If you guys are hungry I have some food in the fridge that probably won't be edible by the time we get back," he said and Jared and Embry jumped up and shoved each other in their haste to get to the kitchen first. Paul grabbed clean clothes before heading into the shower.

Ten minutes later he walked out to find the other three stuffing their faces in front of the TV. He sighed before going into his room to toss his deodorant, shampoo, and razor in his bag, zipping it up before tossing it over his shoulder and heading out to the living room.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he picked up the remote off the table and shut the TV up. The guys turned to glare at him before they all stood up and headed out to the driveway where Jacob and Jared's cars were parked. They all climbed in Jacob's and he started the engine before pulling out of the driveway.

Paul gave Jacob directions as they drove and soon they were pulling into Natasha's driveway. Before Jacob could even put the car into park Natasha was running out the door.

"You're late," she said as she approached the car. "Our flight leaves in less than five hours and it takes four hours to get there. You're always supposed to allow yourself at least an hour at the airport for security stuff," she explained in a half annoyed, half worried tone. Jared climbed out the back door and shut it behind him.

"Blame your lover boy, not us. We were at his house on time. He's the one who still had to pack and take a shower," he said and Natasha turned to Paul with a glare, crossing her arms. He got out of the car and walked over to pull her into a hug, kissing her on the cheek.

"Sorry. We'll make it on time though," he said with a smile and Natasha rolled her eyes before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips quickly.

"Sometimes I get really annoyed that I can't stay mad at you," she said before turning and heading back inside. Paul grinned before following her.

"No you don't," he responded and she laughed. Walking over to a stack of two large suitcases, she turned to Paul with a smile.

"Because you love me so much, want to carry these and put them in the car for me?" she asked and he sighed before picking them up by the handles.

"What is in these, bricks?" he asked and she scowled, causing him to laugh. "Just kidding," he amended before walking outside and carrying them over to her car.

"Aren't we only staying for like, four days?" Embry asked as he looked at the luggage Paul was carrying. He nodded.

"Yep," he said before opening the trunk and hoisting the suitcases inside. Just as he was shutting the trunk, Natasha came back outside, turning around to lock the door behind her.

"Ready," she said in a sing-song voice as she skipped over to her car. "Who's driving with who?" she asked as she took in Jacob's car.

"Paul's driving you and the three of us are following," Jacob explained and Natasha turned to Paul.

"I can drive my own car," she said but he shook his head.

"I can drive faster than you," he explained as he walked over and got in the driver's side. "Key's please." Natasha sighed as she walked around to the passenger side and got in, handing over her keys.

"You know this really isn't fair," she said as he started the engine and waited for Jacob to back out of the driveway so he could follow.

"You know I really don't care," he told her with a laugh. "I thought you were complaining that we were running late. I'll make up for it," he explained and she sighed.

"Fine," she said in an exasperated tone before turning on the radio. Immediately a Lady Gaga song came on and she sat back in the seat and began to sing along. Paul sighed at the choice of music. This was going to be a long car ride.

* * *

The drive itself took three and a half hours. Paul smirked at Natasha as they pulled into the parking lot, pointing at the clock.

"I see," she said with a huff as she got out of the car and walked around to open the trunk. He smirked wider as he got out too, hurrying over to help her with the luggage. Jacob pulled into the spot next to them and the three guys got out, all tossing their own bookbags and duffles over their shoulders.

"That didn't take four hours did it Jared?" Embry asked as the two of them walked over to Natasha.

"Not even close," Jared replied with a grin and Natasha punched him in the arm. He didn't even flinch and Embry laughed.

"Come on," Paul said in an annoyed tone as he shut the trunk and locked the car. Then he grabbed both of Natasha's suitcases and the five of them began to walk toward the airport building.

It took nearly forty minutes to get all the way through security because of the long lines. As Natasha sat down to buckle her shoes back on, Paul walked up and dropped his duffle in the chair next to her. Natasha had had to check her suitcases while all the boys' bags were small enough to be considered carry ons.

"That was fun," Paul said as he lifted his foot up to tie his laces.

"Oh yeah, a blast," Natasha said sarcastically as she finished her right shoe and stood up. "Have you ever flown before?" she asked and he shook his head. "Well, at least this is better than flying to Europe," she told him before picking up her purse and walking over to where the other boys were waiting for them. Paul tied his laces and then grabbed his bag and jogged over to catch up to them. "We have about fifty minutes until our flight leaves," Natasha informed them as they started to walk towards their terminal.

"I can definitely see why we were worried about getting here on time," Jared said to Paul and Natasha turned to glare at him. "Sorry," Jared said quickly and Embry and Jacob laughed.

"Well, I'm going to go get some lunch because I'm starving," Natasha said as they arrived at their terminal. Paul set down his duffle and turned to the other guys.

"I'm gonna go with her. Want to watch the stuff until we get back?" he asked but Jared shook his head.

"I'll come with you guys and we'll bring stuff back. What do you guys want?" he asked, looking at Jacob and Embry.

"Uh, get me two Big Macs and two things of fries. Oh and a large Coke and an apple pie," Jacob said and Embry nodded.

"Same here, except make my Coke cherry and get me the other flavor pie," he said and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Wolves," she said under her breath as she turned and headed toward the food court. Jared and Paul jogged to catch up to her, Paul taking her hand.

"We can't help being hungry," Paul said and Natasha sighed.

"I feel more and more sorry for Emily every day," Natasha told them as they walked. "And speaking of Emily, I still have yet to meet her," she said with a look at Paul. He held up his hands defensively.

"Sorry, we just haven't gone to visit when you've been around. After we get home I promise I'll take you to meet her," he said and Natasha nodded with satisfaction before coming to a stop in front of Starbucks. She looked at the menu for a minute before walking up to the counter.

"Hi, can I have a non-fat caramel macchiato with extra foam and a cranberry bagel with low-fat cream cheese please?" she said politely to the barrista behind the counter. He nodded with a smile and rang up the items on the cash register.

Standing a few feet back with Jared, Paul watched the whole exchange and balled his hands into fists. He didn't like the way the kid was looking at Natasha. As she glanced up at the menu on the wall to decide on a drink, the kid's eyes drifted down to below Natasha's face and Paul lurched forward.

"Easy Paul," Jared said harshly, holding his friend back. "You can't phase here. Not only will it cause a panic but Sam will kill you when we get home." Paul sighed.

"But did you see-"

"Yeah, I saw," Jared cut him off. "And if it was Kim, I'd be just as mad. But you can't really do anything other than go up to stand next to her and let him know she's taken." Paul nodded and began to walk to Natasha.

"That'll be eight dollars and 20 cents," the kid said and Paul hurried forward to hand over the money.

"Thanks," Natasha said with a smile at Paul. He nodded and threw a glare at the barrista before turning around to stand back with Jared. Natasha stood by the counter while she waited for her order.

"Here you go," the barrista said as he handed Natasha a bag with her bagel inside.

"Thanks," she said as she took it.

"Caramel macchiato!" a girl's voice shouted and Natasha walked over to grab the cup off of the counter. Taking a sip, she smiled in satisfaction before turning to walk over with the boys.

"I'm ready," she said cheerfully and Jared and Paul glanced at each other. "What? Starbucks is a girl's best friend," she explained as she turned and headed over to the McDonalds.

"I thought diamonds were..." Jared said slowly and Paul shrugged. Natasha turned to them with a smile.

"They are too," she said before turning back around to walk to the start of the line.

"High maintenance," Jared coughed and Paul glared at him before shoving him into the line.

* * *

After they had all finished their food and were just waiting for their plane to begin boarding, Jacob noticed Paul's sour mood.

"What's up bro?" he asked and Paul shrugged. Jared laughed.

"He's mad because he didn't like the way the Starbucks guy was looking at Natasha," he explained and Natasha turned to Paul quickly.

"Really? I didn't even notice," she said and Paul frowned.

"I really want to go punch him right now," he said and Natasha placed both her hands on his arm.

"Please don't. I would really like to get to Vancouver without any arrests," she said with a smile before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Now come help me pick out a magazine to read on the flight," she told him, standing up and trying to pull him to his feet.

"The flight's less than an hour!" Embry stated and she turned to glare at him. "Never mind," he said, throwing a glance at Jared who just shrugged.

"Fine," Paul said as he stood up and together the two of them walked over to the magazine stand. As Natasha browsed the titles, Paul zoned out and thought back to the Starbucks' kid.

Sure he knew Natasha was attractive; he'd be attracted to her even if she wasn't his imprint and he was sure guys checked her out all the time. It was different to actually see it happen as opposed to just thinking about it though and it made him mad. He didn't even think about all the times he had checked out girls in his life. All he cared about was that he make sure every guy every where they went knew Natasha was his.

How though?

He didn't think she'd be up for him hovering over her 24/7. She might like it for a while but after a few days it would get a bit annoying for her and he didn't want that. Hell, he would even get slightly annoyed with it. Not enough to stop however.

"Should I get Cosmo or Vogue?" Natasha asked him and he snapped out of his train of thought, glancing at the two covers. Vogue had a girl in a purple evening dress and the topics that surrounded her were things like 'Lipstick is Back' and 'Where Fashion Meets Fantasy!' He snubbed his nose and glanced over at the other magazine.

Cosmopolitan had a picture of a girl in a sexy lacy dress. Some of the headlines that stuck out to him were '10 Things Guys Crave in Bed,' 'The Surprising Trait 80% of Men Find Sexy,' and 'How to Climax Together.' He grinned.

"This one. Definitely this one," he said as he pointed at Cosmo. Natasha rolled her eyes as she turned to put Vogue back on the shelf.

"Of course," she said before reaching into her purse. "I'm going to pay for this. Be right back," she told him as she turned to go stand in line. As Paul waited, he glanced over at the magazines in the section he was standing. One magazine's headline stuck out to him.

'Show Her You Love Her,' it declared, accompanied by a stack of elegant silver diamond rings. Paul's eyes widened as he stared at it.

"Ready?" Natasha's voice made him jump. He turned quickly to look at her.

"Yeah. Let's go," he said as he took her hand and together they walked back over to the guys, Paul glancing over his shoulder once to send a glare at the magazine.

"Find one?" Jacob asked as they sat down. Paul smirked.

"Did she ever," he said as he reached around her to try to grab the magazine. Natasha held it out of reach and glared at him.

"This is an important magazine and is not to be taken as a joke," she told him and he looked her in the eyes.

"Baby I'm not joking," he said, smiling as Embry reached out and snatched the magazine from Natasha's outstretched hand.

"No!" she cried but it was too late. The other three guys crowded together and began to laugh.

"You'll have to let me borrow this when you're done Natasha," Jared said as they began to flip through it. "I want to know what sex position we supposedly voted for," he told her as they all stopped on a page and began laughing again. Natasha scowled and stood up, grabbing the magazine from them.

"Grow up," she said as she put the bag in her purse and sat back in her seat.

"Aw Natasha, you know we didn't mean it," Embry said and soon Natasha's frown had turned into a smile.

"I know," she said in defeat as the flight attendant came on the PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen we will now begin boarding Alaska Airlines flight 2024 to Vancouver. Passengers in rows sixteen through twenty may now begin boarding." Natasha glanced at her ticket.

"We're row fourteen," she told Paul and he nodded as he looked over at the other guys.

"What rows are you?" he asked the three of them.

"Thirteen," all three said at the same time and then they chuckled.

"At least we're all sitting near each other," Natasha said and Paul nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen passengers in rows twelve through fifteen may now begin boarding," the attendant said and as one they all stood up. Paul hitched his bag up on his shoulder before putting his hand on the small of Natasha's back and leading her up to the gate entrance.

After handing their tickets to the attendant, they both started their walk down to the plane. A few seconds later they heard the pounding feet of Embry, Jared, and Jacob. Paul sighed.

"They get old after a while," he told Natasha and she giggled.

"It's okay. At least you're not rooming with them in the hotel," she reminded him and he smirked.

"Yeah, I've still got a pretty sucky roommate though," he said and she smacked him lightly.

Unbeknownst to her parents, Natasha and Paul would be sharing a hotel room. The other three were able to get a room right next door, just in case something occurred and they were needed. Paul felt safer having them all close together and he knew Natasha did. Besides, he could barely sleep through the night without her next to him as it was. A leech threat only made it worse.

"Put your bag up there so you don't hold people up," Natasha told him as they found their seats. She scooted into the window seat as he lifted his bag up effortlessly and put it in the overhead compartment. Next to him, Jared and Jacob were doing the same thing. When their compartment was full, they shut the door before taking their seats. Embry was sitting in front of Natasha and Jared was sitting next to him, in front of Paul. Jacob was across the aisle from Jared and was currently flipping through the SkyMall Magazine.

"Check this out," Jacob said and Embry and Jared quickly grabbed their own copies and began to flip through. Natasha laughed before turning to Paul.

"I'm glad you're coming with me," she said and he smiled and leaned in.

"I am too," he said deeply before kissing her. When they broke apart, she nestled her head into the crook between his head and shoulder and they both relaxed into their seats for the flight.

* * *

"My ears are still popping," Embry complained as the five of them walked through the Vancouver terminal about an hour later. Natasha laughed and leaned over to look at him.

"It'll stop soon," she explained and Jacob shrugged.

"It wasn't that bad," he said and Jared nodded.

"Yeah but I didn't think they would pop that much." The conversation continued as the rode the escalators down to the luggage claim. Then they stood in silence while they waited for Natasha's bags to come around on the conveyor belt.

"There they are," she said, pointing to the two Louis Vatton suitcases making their way toward them. Paul and Jacob walked forward and each grabbed one, setting them down on the ground and pulling up the handles.

"Now what?" Jared asked and they all turned to Natasha.

"Now we find a taxi to the hotel," Natasha said as she walked through the sliding doors and out into the cold Vancouver air. Looking around, she walked over to a parked taxi and a man walked over to her.

"Taxi?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yes, we need a taxi to the Hampton Inn in downtown Vancouver," she said and the man nodded.

"For how many?" he asked and Natasha turned to the guys.

"We're going to have to split up," she said as she glanced behind them. "Go try that taxi. Just tell the driver the Hampton Inn in downtown Vancouver," she said and Jacob and Embry nodded before turning and carrying their bags over to the taxi she had pointed out.

"Three then?" the driver asked and Natasha nodded. The driver opened the trunk and helped Paul load Natasha's suitcases as she and Jared climbed in the taxi, Natasha in the back, Jared opting to sit up front. The two boys were so big that they wouldn't both fit in the backseat. "All ready?" the driver asked as he and Paul both climbed in the taxi.

"Yep," Paul said, shutting the door behind him. The driver put the car in drive and took off down the road in the direction of Vancouver.

* * *

_So that's it! They're in Vancouver!!!! What do you think's gonna happen now???? Please review and let me know! Last chapter I got 12 reviews! Wouldn't it be cool if I got 13? Or actually, 14. I HATE odd numbers. They bother me for some reason haha._

_So yes, let's try for 14 reviews!! Let's see if we can do it!!!!!_


	17. Chapter 16

_Hey guys. Sorry for the long space between updates. I have a lot of shit going on in my life right now, a lot of shit I can't exactly handle, so this story had to take the backburner for a while. Don't worry, I'm almost done writing it and spring break starts tomorrow so hopefully I'll have lots of time to finish it. I just wanted to let you know why it was so long since I last updated._

_I'm not going to do review responses, even though I appreciate the fact that I got **15**!!! I had only asked for 14 so that's awesome. Thank you guys so much! It means a lot to me, especially right now with everything else going on._

_Enjoy, and this time let's see if we can beat the number of reviews from the last update._

* * *

NATASHA:

When we got to the hotel, I checked us in while the guys looked around the hotel lobby. It was kind of cute that they hadn't been out of Washington before. They were like little kids at Christmas and it made me want to laugh.

Our rooms were located on the sixth floor and Paul and I took my suitcases on the elevator while we made the other three take the stairs. Of course, they were casually waiting for us when the door opened on our floor.

"What took so long?" Embry teased as we all walked down the aisle. When we got to our doors, I turned to the boys and held out their keys. As soon as they had them, they crowded around the door before opening it and pushing inside. Paul just shook his head as I opened our door and we headed in.

The room was elegant with a queen sized bed in the middle of the room, a desk and chair, a comfy chair in the corner, a large cabinet with a television in it, and a cute bathroom.

"You'll have to hide your things in case my family comes for a visit," I told Paul as I began the task of hanging up my clothes. He was already lying on the bed and merely lifted his hand to signal he had heard me. "I wonder if Chris is here yet," I said conversationally as I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

"My flight leaves at four," he said when he answered, ignoring a greeting. He knew why I was calling.

"Okay. We're already here at the hotel so just call when you get settled in," I told him as I hung up a dress. I may have packed more than was necessary but since my days weren't completely booked, I was prepared in case something spontaneous happened. And something spontaneous meant I hoped Paul would play the good boyfriend and take me out.

"I will," Chris said in response to my question. "How's the hotel?"

"Really nice. We're on the sixth floor," I told him as I walked into the bathroom to put my toiletry bag on the sink.

"We?" he asked me and I smiled.

"Paul, his friends, and I," I told him and he laughed.

"God, you're not all sharing a room are you? That would be awkward." I laughed too.

"No, we're not. The guys are right next door," I told him, purposefully saying 'guys' in the hopes that he would assume that meant Paul.

"If there's an attaching door, make sure your side is locked or your boyfriend will be sneaking in at night," he said and I blushed.

"It will be," I said, happy he had made the assumption I wanted him to. "But hey, I gotta go and get unpacked. Call me when you get in."

"I will. See ya," he said before hanging up.

"How's Chris?" Paul asked with a grunt and I laughed, walking over to lie down and snuggle with him on the bed.

"Good. He hasn't left Seattle yet," I told him. "It'll be another hour or so until he gets here," I said and he looked at me with a grin.

"I know something we can do if you're bored," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and I laughed.

"Paul..." I whined but he cut me off with a kiss. A really nice, passionate, loving kiss that made me feel dizzy. So I gave in.

* * *

The sound of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' made me jump up from the bed and reach for my phone while struggling to hold the sheet to cover me up. Paul chuckled.

"Hello?" I said as I sat back down on the bed, pulling the sheets around me tighter.

"Natasha," my dad's voice said into the phone. "I take it you're in Vancouver?" he asked and I made a noise of agreement.

"Yeah we got to the hotel about an hour ago or so. I've been unpacking and getting settled into my room," I said as I felt Paul's eyes on me. Frowning at him, I turned around and sat so my bare back was to him. He responded by scooting closer and wrapping his arms around me, kissing me repeatedly on the neck. I had to hold in a moan.

"Okay good. No problems I take it?" I tried to focus all I could on the conversation with my dad.

"Nope., no problems. Chris' plane is getting in around now so he's going to call me when he gets settled in and then after dinner I think we're gonna head over to the rink to test the ice."

"Sounds good," my dad said and I gasped lightly as Paul nibbled on my ear. Luckily my dad didn't hear. "Well, I'll let you go. I'm sure you have a lot to do," he said and I made another noise of agreement, this time because I didn't think I could form a vocal answer. "Love you," he said and I smiled.

"Love you too dad," I said before hanging up and rounding on Paul. "I can't believe you!" I exclaimed and he just laughed.

"He didn't know," he told me as he pulled me back on the bed. "Now come on, we have a little bit longer until Chris calls." I laughed as his statement was immediately followed by pounding on the door connecting us to the boys.

"We're getting bored! Let's go do something!" Came Embry's voice and Paul groaned before standing up and slipping on his boxers. Lying back on the bed, the last thing I expected was for him to open the door.

"Paul!" I shrieked as I pulled the sheets up around me. Embry rushed in and then quickly covered his eyes.

"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything!" he shouted as he backed back out of the room. I glared at Paul before dragging the sheets with me to the bathroom. Once locked inside, I dropped the sheets and changed back into my clothes. When I came out, the four boys were all sprawled around the room, the TV already on.

"Sorry," Embry said with a blush when they noticed me. I just shrugged as I sat down next to Paul, only to jump up when my phone went off again.

"Hey I just got to the hotel. Meet in the lobby in ten for practice?" Chris said quickly and I glanced at the clock. It was almost 5:20.

"Sure, see you in ten," I said before hanging up.

"What's up?" Paul asked as I jumped up from the bed and went over to the closet.

"Chris wants to meet in the lobby and head over to practice. You guys can hang out here if you want," I started, knowing they wouldn't go for it.

"No, we'll go with you," Paul said as they all stood up and turned off the TV. I stuffed my practice outfit into my bag and grabbed my skates, draping them over my shoulders.

"Okay then, let's go," I said cheerfully before heading out the door.

* * *

The rink was within walking distance of the hotel and soon I found myself on the ice with Chris. The rink was filled with other people, singles and pairs, so we had to limit our skating area. Paul and the boys settled themselves in the bleachers to watch, Jacob on the phone with Sam to give him updates. Apparently this morning a middle-aged man had been found dead in an alley fifteen minutes from the rink. The police were looking for a killer but we knew better.

Vampire.

"Ready for the death spiral?" Chris asked as he skated to a stop behind me.

"Let's do it," I told him as we skated out to the center of our personal circle and held hands. As we executed the move, I lost all train of thought as Chris circled my body parallel to the ice. My thought was only on myself, Chris, and the ice.

"That was perfect," Chris said a minute later when he pulled me back up and I spun out. I smiled, skating back toward him. "Now let's do more."

We spent the next hour practicing all our moves, gliding across the ice with nothing but sheer perfection. I felt confident as we skated over to the bench where our water bottles and towels were.

"Natasha?" a woman's voice said and I turned, looking for the source of the voice. "Natasha Bascov?" I locked eyes with a pretty blonde in a pale purple skirt, walking toward me on her skates. There was something about her face that looked extremely familiar...

"Ann?" I asked and she nodded before hurrying toward me with her arms out. "Oh my gosh Ann!" I cried as we hugged tightly. "It's been so long!"

"Oh I know! I haven't seen you in years! How are you?" I smiled as we let go of each other and took a step back.

"I'm absolutely wonderful, how are you?" She smiled too.

"Just peachy. Lizzy's around here somewhere, we should all get dinner or something, have you eaten yet?" I shook my head.

"No, but-" I was cut off by an arm around my waist.

"You were awesome," Paul said in my ear as he kissed my temple. Then he turned to Ann. "Hi, I'm Paul," he said, holding his hand out. She shook it with a smirk in my direction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ann. I'm an old friend of Natasha's," she said and he nodded.

"Yeah I know, she's mentioned you before," he said and Ann giggled.

"I hope it was all good," she said before turning to me. "We should all go out to dinner," she repeated and I turned to Paul.

"The guys wouldn't mind us ditching them for dinner would they?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Guys?" Ann asked. "I'm all for eating dinner with guys," she said and I sighed.

"Not these guys," I told her and she laughed.

"Okay, just us then. Let me call Lizzy and we'll meet up. Where are you staying?" she asked as she pulled out her phone.

"The Hampton."

"Me too," she said as she pressed a few buttons on your phone. "Let's meet at say, eight at the hotel restaurant?" I nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll see you there," I said before hugging her goodbye and walking back over to the bleachers.

"Who was that?" Chris asked as he and I walked to the locker rooms, leaving Paul and the guys at the bottom of the bleachers.

"My old skating friend from way back," I told him. "I guess she's here for the singles competition tomorrow. I haven't talked to her in years," I turned to him with a smile. "I'm going out to dinner with her, another old friend, and Paul if you want to join us. I'm sure they'd love to meet my new skating friend," I said and he shrugged.

"Sure, why not," he told me before disappearing in the locker room.

"Good," I said before walking through my own door.

* * *

That evening we all spent almost two hours in the hotel restaurant. Lizzy and Ann were both exactly the way I remembered them, but they were different too. We were all older, more mature, and more experienced in life. We still had the sparks though, the sparks of a skater that would always be in our hearts.

The girls absolutely loved Paul. We all escaped to the bathroom before our food was served and they gushed about how hot he was, how sweet he was to me, how nice he seemed, etc while we checked our make up in the mirror. Neither of them had boyfriends. They both had the same coach and he frowned on dating. He felt that his skaters should focus 100 percent on skating. I was secretly glad I had switched to Andre. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't date Paul.

They also both really liked Chris. I know leaving them all those years ago had upset them. When I switched to couples, thus making the odds of us seeing each other even slimmer, they had been crushed. To know that they approved of Chris as a partner made me feel happy inside.

After dinner Paul and I went back up to our room to cuddle for the evening. It was nearly 10:30 and I was exhausted after such a long day.

"What did you think of Lizzy and Ann?" I asked Paul from the bathroom where I was washing my face before bed.

"I liked them. They're really nice," he called from the bed. He was watching something on ESPN to get updates to all his teams. "Are they the same as you remember them?"

"Yeah, exactly the same," I said as I walked out of the bathroom in my jammies and ran over to the bed, jumping on top of him. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down, burying us beneath the sheets. I laughed loudly and soon he joined in.

"Hey Natasha," Paul started after we'd calmed down a little. I rolled on my side and propped myself up on my elbow to look at him.

"Mhm?" I asked, wondering why he suddenly seemed nervous. He usually spoke exactly what was on his mind.

"Uh..." he trailed off and I smiled at his cute awkwardness. This was a side of Paul I had never seen before and while I loved him always being the strong one, this new awkward side was adorable.

"What?" I asked and he turned to look me straight in the eyes. At that moment, I knew whatever came out of his mouth would be important.

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

What!?

His question caught me completely off guard and I felt the smile slip from my face. He smiled but I could tell it was forced.

"That bad of a question huh?" he said and I shook my head quickly.

"Oh! No! No, no, no that's not what I meant. It just took me by surprise," I said, trying to stall for time as I thought of an answer.

"Well...?" he asked and I looked at him.

"I don't know what to say," I said truthfully with a shrug. "I love you, you know I do. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He looked at me.

"But..." he started.

"But I'm seventeen. Could you imagine what my parents would say?" he looked at me sadly.

"We know we want to be together, why put it off?" I sighed and pulled him in for a kiss. As we kissed, I wrapped my fingers in his hair and thought everything through in my head.

He was right. Why put it off? We wanted to be together, we would be together, why not make it official? Yeah the parents thing made me nervous, but just because we got engaged it didn't mean I had to tell them right away. The idea of us being imprinted together was practically an engagement anyway if one thought about it. Calling it an engagement, whether secret or not, was just putting a name to what we were doing. As the kiss ended, I made my decision.

"Paul, I love you," I told him and he looked at me with a wince. He thought I was going to turn him down. "I love you and I want to be with you and make you happy," I paused as I let him soak that in. He started to smile a little and I took that as my sign to go on. "And if that means agreeing to marry you, then yes," A large grin broke out on his face as he pulled me in for one of the most passionate, powerful kisses we had ever shared.

After a few minutes I pulled away.

"But I have some guidelines," I told him and he nodded, waiting for me to continue. "It's just an engagement; I'm not ready to actually get married yet." He nodded again. "And I choose when we tell people."

"You can be in charge of it all. As long as you say you'll be mine, I'm happy." I smiled as I leaned over to kiss him. "But I do get to get you a ring," he said and I faked rolling my eyes.

"Of course!" I said excitedly as he pulled me in for a hug.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear and I smiled. My life was perfect.

* * *

Thursday was hell. Andre arrived in the early hours of the morning and had wake up calls sent to Chris' and my room at six in the morning. By seven we were both at the rink ready to go. Although Chris and I were complaining quietly whenever Andre was out of earshot, I mostly felt bad for Paul. The other guys had chosen to stay in the hotel and sleep as long as possible. Paul, staying true to his word to not let me out of his sight, was sitting in the bleachers, dozing off every couple minutes.

"Your boy looks a little tired," Chris said as we skated around the rink. I nodded.

"He's really protective and doesn't want me going anywhere without him. I told him he could stay at the hotel but he wanted to come," I explained and Chris laughed.

"Man's got it hard," he mumbled under his breath as Andre began to shout out instructions. "Here we go," Chris said and I laughed.

By eight I was ready to collapse in my bed. Luckily the guys were understanding and we all ordered a mass amount of pizza and stayed in for the night. Some big football game was on so while I lay in bed in my jammies, the guys all crowded around the room to watch it. Paul lay next to me with his arm wrapped around my shoulders. Jared sat at the foot of the bed, Jacob had pulled the desk chair around and was sitting in it to my right and Embry was lounging in the nice chair to Paul's right. At that moment, I truly felt...safe. There was no better way to describe it. I felt safe and I felt homey.

Friday morning found me sitting awake in bed long before my seven a.m. alarm went off. I was nervous.

"Babe, go back to sleep," Paul moaned as he rolled onto his stomach and tried to pull me back with him. I shrugged his arm off and stood up to begin pacing the room. "Natasha," Paul said as he sat up to watch me. "You'll be fine. You skated your routine perfectly yesterday...four times! You'll be amazing." I groaned and walked over to collapse face down on the bed.

"I'm so nervous!" I shouted into the pillow and Paul chuckled as he rubbed my back.

"You'll be fine," he told me and I sighed. "Now come on. You have to be at the rink in roughly an hour and you really need your sleep." I shook my head, standing up again. "Nope. I need a shower," I announced before disappearing into the bathroom.

When I walked out roughly twenty minutes later, Paul was on the room phone.

"Yeah, she just got out of the shower. She'll be there," he said before hanging up the phone. "That was Chris. He wanted to know if you could show up at the rink a little early. He's hoping to practice with less people around so you have more room." I nodded before grabbing my duffle.

"Let's go," I said in mock cheerfulness as I turned and walked out the door. Paul grabbed his wallet before jogging after me.


	18. Chapter 17

_Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to post. I've been prepping myself for a HUGE internship interview I have tomorrow with abc news in NYC!!! I'm soo nervous!_

_Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter. I've been taking some nice relaxing time to myself and am feeling a little better. Things are looking up for now, so hopefully they'll stay that way._

* * *

PAUL:

Seven hours. Paul had been sitting on the bleachers of the rink for seven hours. He had followed Natasha there around 7:15 to meet Chris for practice. Then he had sat...and sat...and sat, watching the two of them do their routine over and over again. At this point he felt like he could take Chris' place if need be; he practically knew the routine by heart.

Not that he was complaining. He would follow Natasha anywhere she wanted to go. He would sit for days and watch her do anything, even if it was as mind numbing as her routine for the tenth time was. He loved her, and he would do anything for her. That included lying and saying he enjoyed watching her do thirty toe loops in a row.

Around lunchtime the guys had shown up with fast food bags and Paul had thanked them profusely. Now the four of them sat and watched all the skaters on the ice as they munched on Burger King Whoppers and fries.

"You gotta admit some of the girls are hot though," Embry stated after a while, earning a smack from the other three. He then muttered something about imprinting before shutting up completely.

Not soon enough, Natasha came running up the bleachers, her skates replaced with flip flops.

"I'm heading off to get ready. Why don't you guys go for a walk or something? I most likely won't be able to talk to you guys until after I skate," she told them and they all nodded, standing up. Paul walked over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Good luck," he said and she smiled and blushed. He loved how he could do that, make her blush. "I know you're going to skate perfectly," she smiled wider and he leaned in to kiss her on her nose.

"Thanks," she said and he nodded.

"Anytime. Now go off and get yourself ready. Not that you need to look more beautiful than you do now." Behind them Embry made a very distinct gagging noise.

"I will. Try not to have too much fun without me," she said and he nodded. "And stay out of trouble," she added before turning and jogging back down the steps. "Oh! And make sure you're back in thirty minutes. The competition begins exactly at three and you need to get your seats first," she reminded them as she hit the bottom step.

"We will," Paul told her and she nodded before continuing to jog in the opposite direction. When she disappeared into the locker room, Paul turned to the guys.

"Walk?" he suggested and they nodded and headed outside.

"Thank God!" Jared shouted as they cut through the parking lot. "I was about to die of boredom," he said before turning quickly to Paul. "No offense." Paul shook his head.

"None taken. I love her, and I love watching her skate, but watching for that long was just painful." The guys all laughed as they turned onto one of the main streets and began walking down it.

"I think I saw a sign for a park up ahead," Jacob said as they walked. "It'll be nice to see a little familiar scenery."

"Yeah, all this city hustle is giving me a headache," Embry added and soon the four guys found themselves walking toward a nice large patch of green. A footbath cut its way through the large trees that looked oddly out of place next to the city skyline. To their right was an open field of grass, stretching out in an inviting shade of deep green.

"Too bad we don't have a football or something, we could play a little..." Jared trailed off as the wind changed course. All four of them froze.

Vampire.

Paul groaned and clenched his fists. Of course she would appear today. He was hoping to avoid the bloodsucker situation entirely. Don't go looking for trouble and just walk away on Saturday, that was his plan. Of course fate had different plans.

"Damn it," Jacob said under his breath as all boys tensed and looked at each other. "Don't phase until we figure out what's going on. I know our first instinct is to protect but this isn't our land and if we can avoid a confrontation all the better for us," he told them and they all nodded.

Walking slowly into the park, all boys stayed alert as they looked around, taking everything in. They could smell an almost clear trail, even in their human state. As it got stronger, they knew they were getting closer.

"This is it," Jared whispered as they cut off the path and walked through a dense patch of trees. Sure enough, right in the thickest part kneeled a beautiful, pale woman. She was wearing a short skirt and a thick winter coat. Her long black hair flowed around her and draped across the lifeless body she was clutching.

"Fuck," Paul groaned as he took in the wide, lifeless eyes of the young woman on the ground. She had to be not much older than Natasha. She so easily could have been Natasha. It made his blood boil.

"Paul," Jacob whispered harshly as Paul began to shake. Unfortunately, his whisper didn't go unnoticed and the vampire's head snapped up to look at them.

"Well, what do we have here?" her velvety voice asked, dripping with sugar. She stood up and took a step toward them before freezing, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "Ugh!" she exclaimed and the guys couldn't help but smirk.

"Exactly what we were thinking," Jacob said as the vampire scowled. Unfortunately, in the confrontation, no one had thought to keep an eye on Paul. As the idea of the vampire getting Natasha filled his head, it made him angrier and angrier. All of a sudden he exploded. "Paul!" Jacob shouted but it was no use. Where Paul had stood moments before, a wolf now crouched, growling at the vampire. Gasping, she took a step back.

"What the hell?" she questioned no one in particular as Paul took a step toward her. Behind him, Jacob was giving the others orders, using the alpha voice he had in hopes they would be forced to obey him. "What is this?" she asked frantically as Paul took another step.

"Paul..."Jacob cautioned but his voice was zoned out by the arrival of a sixth person.

"Well what have we here?" a masculine voice said lazily as he appeared next to the woman. "Venora, you seem to have stumbled upon a pack of werewolves," he explained as he put his arm around her. "A pack of...young werewolves. This should be fun," he said cheerfully and both of them dropped into defensive stances.

"Alright," Jacob said, giving in as the other guys quickly stripped off their clothes. Normally in a situation like this they would have just phased immediately but they were in the middle of the city. They couldn't run back to their hotel room in wolf form and grab clothes after the fight was over. The woman, Venora laughed lightly as she watched them strip.

"A show before an execution Timothy, how seducing," she said and her mate laughed. When the boys were down to their boxers, they all phased, strips of fabric billowing to the ground around them.

"Alright then," Timothy stated. And then he charged.

'Embry and Paul, stay back unless Jared and I seem to need help,' Jacob ordered as he locked himself in battle with Timothy. Paul growled.

'No way! I'm playing my part in this,' he argued but Jacob growled as he snapped at Timothy.

'You have to. If we all take them at once there will be too much going on and we could miss something. This way we'll have a second wind in case something happens,' Jacob explained as Jared caught a hold of one of Venora's arms, making her scream. Paul huffed before beginning to pace to the left of the fight. Behind him, Embry was sitting, taking the whole thing in. The two wolves watched as their pack members took on the vampires, wishing they were in on the action.

'Jared to your left!' Embry shouted suddenly and Jared jumped to his right, just in time to miss a deadly-looking bite from Venora. Jared barked a quick thank you before jumping back in the fight. He hooked his left rear leg around Venora's arm and snapped at her leg, leaving a trail of teeth marks up her bare leg. She shrieked again and Timothy spun his head around to look at her. Jacob took his chance.

Using Timothy's short moment of distraction, he swiped his front right paw across Timothy's chest, leaving a trail of stripped fabric in its wake. Timothy whipped his head back around and flashed his teeth.

"You won't win that easily," he threatened before locking himself to Jacob again.

'Jacob, he's eyeing your tail. Be careful that he doesn't jump you from behind,' Paul cautioned as he watched. If he couldn't take part in the fight, at least he could give directions. Jacob took Paul's warning to heart by letting go of Timothy and leaping backwards, landing with a thud ten feet from the vampire. Using the distance between them, Jacob immediately charged Timothy, swinging his head up to latch his jaws on the vampire's right ear. The sound of cracking stone was heard and Paul watched as a large chunk of human flesh arched through the air to land with a thud on the path.

Timothy's ear.

'Yes!' Embry and Paul both shouted at the same time. Of course, it would take a lot more than a missing ear to take down a vampire. Sure enough, Timothy soared at Jacob with newfound anger. This battle was far from over.

A loud howl made Embry and Paul both turn their heads sharply to where Jared and Venora were fighting. As they looked, Jared flew past them, coming to a halt on the ground. A fresh gash on his left shoulder blade was already beginning to pool blood on the ground and he grunted as he attempted to stand up, failing and dropping back to the ground to rest until his wound could heal.

'That's it!' Paul exclaimed before recoiling on his haunches and jumping into the air, coming to land directly on a laughing Venora.

Before her shriek could even leave her lips Paul had her neck in his mouth. Giving a violent tug, he felt her give and he watched as she fell to the ground, headless.

"Nooooo!" screamed Timothy but it was too late. As soon as her body hit, Embry had jumped up from his spot and rushed over to help Paul tear the rest of Venora's body to pieces. Otherwise she wouldn't be truly killed.

As they did this, Jacob turned back to Timothy, crouching down in a stance that signaled he wasn't done. Timothy hissed.

"You'll be sorry you did that!" he shouted and Embry and Paul looked over. "I've been watching you since you arrived. I hoped we wouldn't run into trouble but I kept tabs just in case. I know your little pack girlfriend is at the rink right now, unprotected. I just hope she's able to handle my wrath," he said with a sarcastic pout before turning and disappearing into the woods. Paul immediately phased, running forward to grab random clothes off the ground.

"What are you doing!? Those are my shorts!" Jared shouted as he tried to cover himself up. Paul turned to him.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. He's after Natasha and I have to warn her," he said frantically before taking off in the direction Timothy had run. He knew that in his human form he was nowhere near as fast as a vampire. He only hoped that Natasha was surrounded by too many people to make it easy for Timothy to get her. In fact, he was counting on that. It was already 3:05 and with the competition already started, there was no way Natasha would find any place to be alone. Paul heaved a sigh of relief as he continued to run. Timothy wouldn't be able to get her before she skated. He just had to hope that when it was all over, he could get to her first.

His phone ringing made him groan and flip it open. It was Jacob.

"What?" he asked a little roughly as he waited for the light to change at the crosswalk.

"We're heading back to the hotel. We'll meet you at the rink after we get changed and get some cuts cleaned up. Don't do anything stupid. Wait until we get there. Your main objective is to get Natasha safe."

"I know that," Paul said angrily as he jogged across the street and into the parking lot of the ice rink. "She's not going to want to leave," he said and he heard Jacob sigh.

"As long as she's never alone, the bloodsucker hopefully won't try anything. As soon as she's done, get her out of there. I'm going to call Sam and tell him what happened. Call me if anything comes up." The line went dead and Paul thrust the phone back into his pocket, walking up to the doors and throwing them open.

Now he just had to find Natasha and hope she didn't kill him for being late. The rest he could explain afterwards.

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_So what do you think happens next? Review and let me know what you think! Last chapter I only got 5 or 6 reviews :( Let's try to bring that up a little this time!!!! I LOVE to hear feedback on my story!_


	19. Chapter 18

_So I'm not trying to be whiny or anything, but things are really kinda falling apart for me right now. I still plan on posting these chapters but I won't be able to do my review responses. I'm bummed about it because I love doing them but I just don't have the time or energy. I'm sorry to all of my avid reviewers who liked reading my responses. I still love getting all of your reviews and I read them all multiple times and cherish them all dearly. It's so nice to get little notes to make my days a little better. Thank you._

_**Author's Note:** So, I tried to understand the new form of rating for ice skating and I'm really stupid when it comes to numbers and just couldn't get myself to understand it. Therefore, we're going to pretend the new system was never put into effect and they still run on a 6.0 scale. This is my story, I can do things like this :)_

_Enjoy. And remember to review. I appreciate my reader's reviews more than you probably think._

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NATASHA:

If there was one thing getting ready for a competition did, it made me feel gorgeous. With the intense, glittery makeup on my eyes and cheeks and my lips glossed to the extreme I always felt like a runway model or a movie star.

"Hold still," my mom said curtly as she yanked my hair harshly. She was currently attempting to put it into a bun made of bobby pins and three cans of extra hold hairspray. One misplaced curl and I could potentially lose points. My hair had to be solid and plastered to my head.

"My nerves are starting to get replaced with excitement," I told my mom as I watched her handiwork in the mirror. She glanced up at my reflection and smiled.

"Good, you should be excited. You are going to do so well in this competition, I just know it." I smiled at her and then attempted to put more mascara on my eyelashes. "Stop messing with it, you look perfect," my mom scolded and I sighed.

"Natasha?" came a voice and my mom and I both turned to see Ann and Lizzy walk in. Their competitions had been in the morning. Lizzy had placed second and Ann had taken a nasty spill which had dropped her to sixth. She was upset, but mostly with herself for not landing her layback spin.

"Hey guys!" I said excitedly as they both came in. "Mom you remember Lizzy and Ann right?" I asked and her eyes widened before she walked forward to hug both girls.

"It's so good to see you girls again!" she said happily and they nodded.

"Likewise Mrs. Bascov. We were so surprised to find out Natasha was here skating," Ann stated and then the three of us dropped into a discussion of the men's singles that would be going on tomorrow. A few of the competitors had been on the ice earlier and so we talked about who we thought would place highest.

"Ow!" I exclaimed when my mom tugged my hair rather roughly.

"If you sat still it wouldn't hurt so much," my mom said and my two friends laughed.

"So where's Paul today?" Lizzy asked as she looked around the room, as if she thought he was hiding. I shrugged.

"He and his friends went out for a walk. I think it gets a little boring for guys to just sit and watch figure skaters for hours on end." My mom scoffed.

"Your father didn't get bored," she said and I rolled my eyes at the girls.

"I didn't mean Paul, I meant the other guys," I explained and she frowned.

"Who all came up?" she asked as she put a final bobby pin in my hair before setting the hairspray down. "Done!" I stood up to look at it in the mirror.

"Jacob, Jared, and Embry all came. They're the ones I know the best," I told her as I turned with a smile. "I look pretty good, if I do say so myself," I said before walking over to the closet. "Want to see my costume?" I asked and Lizzy and Ann both nodded. I pulled it out of the closet and held it up for them to see.

"Oooo!" they said like excited schoolgirls.

"You better put that on," my mom stated as she glanced at the clock. "The competition starts in five minutes and you're on in 15." I turned around and headed into the dressing stall, pulling the curtain closed behind me.

"We'll be right here to tell you how you look when you come out!" Ann called in to me.

"Yeah we'll make sure to tell you if your skirt is tucked in," Lizzy added and both girls giggled.

"Ha ha very funny," I said as I pulled on my tights before slipping into the costume. "And for the record Lizzy, I seem to remember someone walking around the rink in second grade with her skirt tucked into her tights so if I were you I wouldn't be talking." Ann laughed louder and I smiled to myself before opening the curtain.

"Beautiful!" my mom said as she pulled me into a hug. "Now come on, time to get you out to the rink." I grabbed my jacket before turning to Lizzy and Ann.

"We can hang out afterward," I told them and they nodded.

"We can stare at your beautiful gold medal together," Ann said and I sighed.

"I can only hope," I said under my breath before leaving the room and walking into the hallway...and into Chris.

"There you are!" he said as he grabbed my hand. "Winston and Sawyer just dropped out and they've moved everybody up. We're on in five." My eyes widened as we both took off jogging as fast as we dared in our skates to the rink. We got there just as the pair before us began their routine.

"Water," my mom said, holding a water bottle toward me. I let her keep holding it as I latched my mouth onto the nozzle and took a sip. As I did that, I pumped myself up for what was about to happen. Then I glanced up where the boys' seats were.

Paul's face. That's all I needed to see to put myself at ease. He would smile at me and I would feel comfortable and peaceful. Then I could go out there and give it my all, knowing Paul, my love, was watching me.

But the four seats next to my family were empty. My dad caught my eye and just shrugged, showing he didn't know where they were. I sighed as I glanced around hopelessly. Where were they?

"Come on, jacket off," my mom said and I absentmindedly let her pull it off me, my mind still on my missing boyfriend...fiancé...whatever he was.

"You ready?" Chris asked before following my gaze to the empty seats. He frowned. "Natasha. Natasha look at me," he pulled my chin around to face him.

"You can't think about that now. You have to think about our routine. That's all that should be in your mind, every move we've done these past two weeks. They've all led up to this and you can't let your boyfriend ruin this for you." I nodded.

"You're right," I said as the announcer came on the loudspeaker.

"With a score of 23.8 that is the new team to beat!" the announcer shouted as the crowd cheered. I took a deep breath. This was it. "Up next, Natasha Bascov and Chris Williams from Quillayute, Washington, USA."

"Let's get 'em," Chris whispered in my ear before we stepped onto the ice. As soon as I felt my skate glide onto the surface, everything erased from my mind; everything except the moves that were on repeat in my head.

We skated to the middle of the rink before freezing in our positions. As soon as the music started, Ewan McGregor's voice echoed in my ear as it had for the past two weeks. The crowd melted away and it was just Chris and I.

We skated flawlessly, our feet moving in rhythm with each other. The wind in my hair calmed me as we executed our moves perfectly. Camel spin, done. Throw triple axel, perfect. The dreaded second twist lift? I landed it with amazing ease. As we ticked each section of the routine off our mental list, my smile grew wider and wider. By the time the music stopped and we froze in our ending stances, I thought my cheeks were going to burst.

We had done it. I didn't care if we came in last; we had skated our ultimate best and it felt amazing. Chris hugged me and then we took hands, waving to the crowd as we skated off the ice.

"Hunny you were superb!" my mom exclaimed as soon as I was on the cushiony ground surrounding the rink. She pulled me into a hug before handing me my jacket. I put it on while glancing up to the bleachers.

And into Paul's eyes.

He was there, looking frantic and disheveled, but there nonetheless. When he saw me looking at him he quickly mouthed 'I need to talk to you now.' I made an apologetic face as I tried to relay to him that I didn't know how that would work. He was about to respond when Chris pulled me to turn around and face a camera that had appeared in our box.

"They're just about to announce our scores," he told me as we waved at the camera with wide smiles.

"5.8, 5.5, 5.8, 5.7, 5.4 for a total of 28.2," the voice announced. I shrieked as I pulled Chris in for a hug. We were in first and we were ahead by over four points! If we didn't place top three then I would be impressed by everyone's abilities in this competition.

"We've definitely got first," Chris said and I smiled at him before turning to grin at Paul. My grin turned into a frown when I saw he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked terrified. My frown deepened with confusion.

He had seemed so excited and confident that we would place first. Why wasn't he just as excited now? What had happened in the past hour to change his mind? And what had happened to Jared, Jacob, and Embry? Why hadn't they shown up for the competition?

These questions bugged me for the rest of the afternoon. I wanted to text Paul so badly but cameras were constantly on me, watching my reaction as each team failed to beat our goal-setting score. Every time I looked up at him he still had that terrified look on his face. Frankly, it was making me feel terrified too. So terrified that when my phone buzzed in my gym bag, I jumped. Chris threw me a questioning look and I shook my head before flipping open my phone quickly.

vampire

That was all the text from Paul said but I immediately felt the breath leave my lungs. It was as if I had been punched by a giant fist.

She was here, that was all his text could mean. She was here and we were the only ones to know about the danger. I prayed to God my fingers were still working as I began to type a response, asking him where she was and where the boys were.

"Natasha! Phone!" my mom whispered harshly before grabbing the device out of my hand and shutting it, slipping it into her pocket. "You can have it back in the locker room." I groaned, knowing it would be useless to argue with her. Instead I turned to Paul with wide eyes. He just smiled sadly and mouthed 'I love you.' What did that all mean?

Before I knew it, the final scores were announced and Chris hugged me tightly. Apparently we had managed to stay on top. I couldn't be sure though because I felt as if my ears had become numb to everything around me. All I heard was humming as we both took to the ice to receive our medals. Or maybe the humming was the audience clapping.

"Can you at least look happy?" Chris hissed into my ear and I turned to him with doe eyes before forcing a fake smile onto my face and skating over to the pedestal. Chris helped me step onto it and then joined me, pulling himself up.

"Congratulations," the perky young girl said as she handed me a bouquet of roses. I thanked her before nestling them into the crook of my arm. I didn't even know who had placed second and third and I couldn't will myself to look next to me to find out. My eyes were glued across the rink to Paul's, watching his every move in case it could give me any indication to what was going to happen.

"Congratulations," the announcer said as he held up my medal. I slowly bent over, allowing him to slip it over my head and onto my neck. When we had all received ours, we waved to the audience before Chris pulled me into a hug.

"We did it," he said excitedly and I nodded, not sure I could trust myself to speak coherently.

After the ceremony, we skated to the edge of the ice where I was bombarded with a hug from my mom.

"I am so proud of you!" she cried before letting go of me to pull Chris into a hug. "You too! I'm so proud of both of you!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned to busy herself with collecting my things. I honestly couldn't bring myself to care that she was so proud. I just wanted Paul.

"I knew we could do it!" Andre shouted as he ran up to us in all his 60-year-old glory. On any other day Chris and I would have joked about how Andre running was hilarious but not today. Today I just wanted to get out of here.

I'm not sure how I got to the hallway of the locker room. I'm not sure how I got inside the locker room door. All I know is that as soon as I did, Paul held me in his arms.

"We have to get you out of here," he said as he pulled me away from him and turned to begin grabbing my things.

"Where is she? Where are the boys? Is she here?" I asked quickly and he stopped, turning to grab hold of my upper arms.

"She's dead," he said flatly and I frowned, confused. If she was dead, why was he so agitated? "I killed her and now her mate is furious. He knew we were here and so he watched us in case we caused trouble. He knows about you and he plans to kill you as revenge for me killing her." I almost fainted.

"What?" I choked out and he nodded, looking guilty.

"I knew coming here was a bad idea. We need to leave now. I need to get you safe on the Res and then I need to take him down." I grabbed his arm frantically.

"No! No you don't. You need to stay with me," I cried but he shook his head.

"He won't stop, he never will. Not unless he's killed. I started this mess, I need to stop it."

"We can run away. I'll go anywhere with you, just please stay by my side." He pulled my face to look him straight in the eyes.

"He'll find us, they always do. The only way to make sure you're safe is to kill him. Do you have everything?" I nodded. "Okay let's go," he said as he started for the door.

"Wait! What do I do about my parents? Chris? My friends?" Paul sighed in frustration.

"I don't know but whatever you do, you better make it fast. We need to leave now." Just as he finished, the door burst open and Ann and Lizzy ran in laughing. They attacked me with a hug, nearly pushing me to the ground.

"You were amazing!" Ann cried.

"You skated the routine perfectly! You so deserved this win!" They pulled away from me with wide grins, only to have them slowly drop when they saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?"

"What happened?" I turned to Paul and he gave me a look that clearly said it was up to me. So I squared my shoulders and prayed that I was a damn good liar.

"We just got a phone call that one of our friends was killed in an accident," I said and my two friends put on apologetic faces. "I'm really sorry but we have to leave right away. He was a really good kid and we need to get back to be with our friends." Ann nodded.

"Of course. Call us after everything blows over. I'm really sorry." Lizzy nodded.

"If there's anything we can do, let us know." Perfect.

"Actually, can you tell my mom when you see her? We need to get to the airport as fast as possible to try and catch the next flight. I don't have time to look for her but she needs to know what's happened..." Both girls nodded.

"Of course we will! You just go to the airport. I hope you catch the flight," Ann said and I hugged them both before grabbing Paul's hand. We took off out the back door in the hopes that we wouldn't run into my parents.

"I told the boys to meet us outside the hotel. They got everything packed up and were supposed to call taxis so we can leave right away," Paul explained as we ran. I knew we were getting weird looks because of my outfit and hair. I just thanked God I had remembered to take my skates off.

_

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_

And that's it for chapter 18. What do you think's going to happen next? Review and let me know.


	20. Chapter 19

_Well here it is, the next chapter!!!! Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You have no idea how much I enjoy them. SOOO awesome!!!!!! Keep it up!_

_Also, this story is being featured on the site .com/ You all should check out her blog for not only my story, but other stories with OCs!! The stories are listed on the Blog tab. Check them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

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PAUL:

The guys could be unreliable and annoying at times but I knew I could always count on them in an emergency. Especially when a vampire was involved. Therefore I wasn't shocked to see they had actually done everything they promised. They were loading Natasha's suitcases into the trunk of a taxi as we ran up to the hotel, Natasha gasping for breath.

"Finally," Jacob said as he slammed the trunk shut and opened the door for Natasha to get in the back seat. I climbed in after her as Jacob got in the front. Embry and Jared were riding in the other taxi. "I called Sam. He said just to get home as soon as we can. He had Emily call the airport and there's a flight leaving in three hours to go back to Seattle." Paul nodded as he mentally willed the driver to drive faster.

"What happens if..." Natasha cut off with a glance at the driver before rephrasing. "...if we're not fast enough?" she asked but Jacob shook his head.

"Not a problem. Besides, we'll be surrounded by lots of people at the airport. We'll be fine." The conversation was hard because they couldn't say too much in front of the driver. Paul turned to look out the window with a scowl. He was starting to get a headache. This was all a huge disaster.

"Shit," Natasha said suddenly and both Paul and Jacob turned to look at her. "Where's my phone?" She felt around her on the seat, trying to feel for it on the fabric. Paul bent over to see if it was on the floor. After a minute of searching, Natasha stopped and began to laugh.

"What?" Paul asked, concerned by her sudden change of attitude.

"My mom has it," she said and he scowled. "After you texted me, I was going to text you back but she yelled at me for having my phone out during the event and took it from me." she shrugged and pursed her lips. "My parents are going to kill me for running, then they'll be even more pissed when they find out I don't have my cell." Paul sighed.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. Maybe it'll be better this way. Cut off all communication until it's over." The driver glanced at them in his rearview mirror.

"You all aren't running from the police or doing anything illegal are you? I don't want to be considered an accomplice," he said and Jacob quickly shook his head.

"No, we uh..." he turned to look at Paul for help. Remembering Natasha's story, Paul was happy to jump in.

"Our friend back home in Washington just died. Car accident. It was so sudden and we wanted to get home quickly so we just packed up and left. We didn't have time to tell her parents so they'll probably by mad that we all disappeared," he explained and Natasha nodded.

"Hopefully they'll understand when they hear the whole story," she said and the driver nodded.

"Alright, just checking," he said before pulling into the parking lot.

As Jacob paid him, Paul walked around to pull the suitcases out of the trunk. His mind was functioning on its own as he subconsciously reached out to grab Natasha's hand, linking their fingers together. She grabbed one of the handles while he grabbed the other and together they started the walk into the airport. He didn't care if he left the other guys in the parking lot; he just needed to get Natasha safe.

Jacob, Jared, and Embry caught up with them just as they reached the ticket line.

"Let me do this," Jacob said with a voice of authority before walking up to the desk to talk to the pretty attendant.

As they stood waiting, Paul pulled Natasha to him and kissed her temple.

"You're scaring me," she said but he ignored her as he held her tighter. There was no point it trying to make the situation less intense, he was scaring himself too. After this was all over, he knew he would never let her go again.

"Here we go," Jacob said as he walked back over to them. Handing them all their tickets, he then turned and led the way to the security area. Luckily for them, the line was short and soon enough they were heading through the detectors. Paul's head screamed in protest when Natasha slipped her fingers from his to step through the metal detector. As soon as they had both put their shoes back on, he took hold of her hand again, feeling his body relax slightly at her touch.

"We're this way," she said as she led them down a hallway to the proper terminal.

Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

Two hours later the flight attendant came on the PA system to say they could start boarding. As soon as their rows were called, Paul was up and practically dragging Natasha along with him. He wouldn't be at ease until he knew they were safe on the airplane.

Beside him, Natasha was mumbling quietly to herself. Any other day he would have immediately asked her what was wrong but today he had too much else on his mind. His eyes constantly took in their surroundings, making sure Timothy wasn't watching them, or worse, getting on the same plane. After they got on the plane he looked at every passenger who was already sitting or was behind them in the aisle. When he was sure none of them were a vampire, he settled into his seat and wrapped his arms around Natasha.

"I love you," she told him and he pressed his cheek to the top of her head. "No matter what happens, I love you."

"I love you too. I love you, and I will make sure everything turns out okay," he stated as he looked over to lock eyes with Jared. Would he be able to hold up to that promise?

* * *

The flight only lasted an hour but to Paul it felt more like ten hours. He constantly kept checking his watch the see how much longer they had. Next to him, Natasha kept her eyes locked on the window, her fingers twirling around her hair nervously. She was still wearing her skating costume and still had the medal around her neck. Feeling the urge to touch her, Paul placed his hand palm up on her lap. She glanced from it to him and then back to it before placing her own hand on top, lacing their fingers together. He gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled when she squeezed back.

"Ladies and gentlemen we are about to begin our descent into Seattle. Please return your seats and trays to the upright position," the stewardess' voice said suddenly and Natasha glanced back out the window, leaving her fingers laced with Paul's.

Not much later they were walking through the airport. When they got to the luggage area, Paul and Natasha went to look for her bags while Jacob, Jared, and Embry kept a lookout. Although neither spoke, Paul constantly glanced at Natasha, making sure she was alright. Every so often she would catch his eye and manage a weak smile. He forced one in return, not wanting to scare her more than he already had.

In truth he was freaking out for more reasons than one. Sure, the whole vampire-after-his-girlfriend thing was scary but he knew the pack could handle it. He was more scared of how Natasha was handling all of this. Would she stay with him after all this was over? Or would she run from him as soon as she got the chance? Sure she was his imprint but that didn't mean she would want to stay mixed up in all this shit.

"There they are," she said suddenly and he reached out to grab the two suitcases that were miraculously next to each other. Realizing he wanted to be closer to Natasha than holding hands, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he steered her over to where the guys were standing. As they walked over, they heard Jacob finishing up a phone call.

"Okay, yeah let us know," he said before hanging up and turning to them all. "Sam said there's been no sign of a..." he paused to glance around quickly. "...of Timothy near the Res. Looks like we're doing better than we thought," he said before they all turned and headed to their cars.

Paul helped Natasha into the passenger side first before loading her suitcases and then getting in to start the car.

"Where are we going? Your house?" she asked after he had paid the parking attendant and had pulled out onto the road. He shook his head.

"No, we're taking you to Sam's house," he turned to her with a smile. "You'll finally get to meet Emily." She sighed.

"I would have liked to have met her under better circumstances," she said before glancing down at her costume. "And wearing better clothes." Despite the situation, Paul laughed. She looked at him with a frown. "What?"

"Nothing," he said shaking his head. "You're just so damn cute sometimes I can't help but laugh," he told her and she blushed. Then he turned serious again. The idea of her leaving him had been on his mind since the flight. He had to mention it now, while they were alone. He couldn't stand to have the pack around when she rejected him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he debated how to phrase his question. Looking at her confused face, he opted to make it a statement.

"After this is all over, I completely understand if you want to get out of all this. Hell, I want to get out of all this," he turned back to the road. He didn't think he could bear to look at her when she responded. "What I'm trying to say is, you don't have to say yes anymore. I know this is a lot to handle and I don't want you to think you have to stay with me. I'm breaking the engagement so you don't have to." He jumped when Natasha placed her hands on his bicep.

"What are you talking about? I don't want to break the engagement," she said sharply and he turned to look at her in surprise.

"You don't?" he asked, shocked. She shook her head quickly.

"No! I love you, how many times do I have to tell you that?" she cried and he shook his head, trying to make her change her mind.

"This isn't good for you Natasha. This isn't good for anyone and I love you too much to drag-"

"Shut up!" she practically screamed and he jumped, glancing at her before looking back to the road. "I don't want to hear about you loving me enough to let me go. That's a load of bullshit. People don't really do that. I love you and I'm staying with you. You proposed and you're stuck with me now. Together forever," as her rant went on her voice softened and by the time she finished she had a smile on her face. Paul relaxed.

"As long as you're sure," he said and she reached over to pull his right hand off the steering wheel and place it between both of hers.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she told him with so much sincerity, he felt an immense surge of happiness swell in him. Ignoring his change in demeanor, she continued. "I want to marry you, and live in your house with you, and raise babies with you, and grow old with you," she rambled and he laughed.

"Raise babies with me? Isn't it a little soon to be talking about babies?" he asked and she looked at him.

"Is it?" she asked and he nearly choked.

"Jesus Natasha, are you pregnant?" he asked in a terrified voice. Sure he loved her and wanted to marry her but he wasn't sure if he was ready to be a dad. He heaved a sigh of relief when she shook her head quickly.

"No! Oh God no! I was just asking..." she trailed off, embarrassed. He laughed again as he pulled her toward him and kissed her on the top of the head.

"How many are we talking?" he asked as he kept his eyes on the road. Despite everything going on around them, right now in the car felt perfect and he would do everything to have it go on like that.

"Two or three," she said with a soft smile. He nodded.

"I think I can handle that."

"A boy and a girl. Jeremy and Megan." He looked over at her with raised eyebrows.

"You've already picked names?" he asked in surprise. She shrugged.

"What girl hasn't?" she asked innocently and he nodded his head in agreement.

"True. Don't I get a say though?" he asked and she sighed.

"Fine. But only if they aren't bad names." He laughed at how depressed she sounded.

"Bad names?" he asked and she nodded. "Well then I'll have to think of damn good ones."

"You better or I'm naming them Jeremy and Megan."

* * *

By the time Paul pulled into Sam's driveway, Natasha was sound asleep, curled up as tightly as possible in the passenger seat. He wasn't surprised. It was almost two o'clock in the morning and even he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. As he killed the engine, he saw Sam and Kim hurrying out to meet them. As Kim ran past them to dive into Jared's arms, Sam stopped in front of the car. Paul got out and then walked around to open Natasha's door. As he unbuckled her seatbelt, Sam came over to talk to him.

"I just got off the phone with Carlisle. They haven't noticed any vampires in the area but they said they'll keep their eyes open. He said he was sending one of them to Natasha's house to make sure the bloodsucker hadn't gone there." Paul nodded before leaning down to carefully lift Natasha into his arms. She mumbled something softly before turning her head into his chest and reaching to clutch his shirt in her hands.

"This is Natasha," Paul stated unnecessarily. Sam nodded as Emily wobbled over, her stomach protruding out of her pajama top.

"You can take her in and put her in the guest room. I put on some hot water for tea but I think right now she just needs to get out of that outfit," she stated and Paul nodded, turning to walk toward the Ulley house. Behind him he could hear Sam giving the other guys orders. Usually he would have turned around and been right there with them. Right now he had more important things to take care of.

Walking into the house, Paul tiptoed past the nursery where Sam and Emily's one-year-old Jenny slept and walked down the hallway to the empty guest bedroom. Pushing the door open with his foot, he carried Natasha inside and then settled her down on the bed before turning around to shut the door behind them. He was stopped however, by Sam.

"I thought you might need these," he said as he motioned to Natasha's two suitcases. Paul whispered a thank you before pulling them into the room. "I'll give you tonight off since I'm sure she'll be confused when she wakes up. Starting tomorrow you're on double duty just like everyone else. This is your girl we're taking care of." Paul nodded at Sam's announcement before turning back to Natasha.

When he heard the door click behind Sam, he pulled the suitcases over to the other side of the room and opened one of them, scrounging around for something comfortable for her to sleep in. Settling on a pair of shorts and one of her bras, he walked over to the bed and carefully began to undress her.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled softly as he rolled her over to unzip the zipper.

"Getting you ready for bed," he whispered. "Go back to sleep." Her eyes never opened and soon she was out again.

Pulling her costume down, he set it on the bed beside them before slipping on her shorts and then putting her bra on. The clasp held him up for only a minute before he was able to latch it. After sliding her under the covers, he set her costume on a chair across the room before stripping out of his jeans and shirt and joining her in bed.

"Mmmm," she said lazily as she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, bringing her one leg up to drape it across his. He smiled as he pulled her into his arms and felt himself drift off into sleep. Soon he was dreaming of Natasha and no Timothy to come between them.

* * *

_Thanks again for the reviews! Keep it up!!!!! PLEASE review when you're done reading. I enjoy reading my reviews sooo much!_


	21. Chapter 20

_OH HEYYYYY!!! So yeah, once again life has decided to get super stressful on me. UGH. I love doing review responses but right now it's even a stretch just to take the time to post this online. I feel like if that happens, your life is just waaaay too stressful. Too bad I can't do anything about it..._

_Anywhoo...Here's the next chapter! We're kinda winding down...kinda. I'm planning on 30 chapters...give or take a couple. Let me know what you think!!!!_

* * *

NATASHA:

The sheets I was laying in were extremely soft. Way softer than a hotel's sheets should be. I curled myself tighter into a ball and snuggled under the sheets, breathing in the musky smell of Paul. I loved how his smell seemed to seep into everything. It was extremely comforting, like he was always with me.

"Mmmm," I said with a smile as I opened my eyes, wondering whether Paul would be awake or not. I was surprised however to find the other half of the bed empty. Frowning, I sat up and rolled over.

This wasn't the hotel.

Like a flash, the previous day's events came tumbling back to mind. I gasped as I went to get up, only to stop when I saw a piece of paper propped up on a small vase of flowers. Pink Rhododendrons. Smiling, I reached over and picked up the note. It was from Paul.

_Natasha,_

_I didn't want to wake you up because you really needed the sleep. I had to go on patrol at ten and I won't be back until about ten tonight. Emily's staying home all day to keep you company. If you need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask her. I won't have my phone with me but I promise I'll be back assoon as I can._

_I love you,_

_Paul._

I reread the note twice before throwing back the covers and walking over to my suitcase. I wasn't entirely sure how I got out of my competition costume and into the shorts and bra I was currently wearing but I was betting Paul had something to do with it.

Grabbing a shirt and a pair of yoga pants, I pulled them both on before walking out of the room and cautiously walking down a hall. I felt slightly awkward walking through a strange house, especially since I didn't know where I was going and who I was looking for.

"You're up!" A woman's voice said cheerfully when I finally walked into the kitchen. A very pregnant woman was leaning over the sink with a scrub brush in one hand and a large platter in the other. At the table, a little girl sat in a high chair, tossing Cheerios everywhere.

"Yeah..." I said awkwardly as I looked around. The woman put down both the brush and the platter and walked over to me, drying her hands on her pants. Then she pulled me into a hug.

"I'm Emily," she told me as I cautiously hugged her back. What was with these women and hugging? "Are you hungry? You must be hungry." She turned back to the kitchen and walked over to the fridge, pulling a carton of eggs out. "Are fried eggs okay? I can do scrambled if you want. I'm not very good at poaching but if you'd prefer that, I could give it a shot." I quickly shook my head.

"Oh, no fried eggs are fine," I told her before going over to sit at the table. She was so nice. How could someone be that nice to a girl who was causing her husband danger?

"That's Jenny," Emily told me suddenly, nodding to the little baby in the high chair. "She's one. Watch it, she might throw Cheerios at you." I laughed as I reached my hand over to wiggle it in Jenny's face. She giggled and reached out to grab it. "She likes you," Emily said with a smile before turning back to the eggs. "I've gotta say it'll be good to have another woman around here, at least for a little while. All these guys give me a headache." I laughed.

"I believe it. How can you put up with all of them every day?" She sighed and shrugged.

"I have no clue," she told me and we both laughed. Right then, I knew we would get along just fine.

When breakfast was done I found myself standing in front of Emily's telephone. My parents deserved a call from me; that was the least I could do. I was just nervous about what I would say. Heaving a sigh, I picked it up and dialed my mom's cell. I only had to wait two rings before she picked up.

"Hello?" I heard her voice asked and I paused a second before responding.

"Hi mom," I said as I gripped the receiver tighter. I heard her heave a large sigh.

"Natasha Marie Bascov! You are in extremely big trouble! What were you thinking, just running off with Paul? Where are you? What's going on?" I closed my eyes before speaking.

"I'm sorry mom, really I am. I'm at a friend's house and I'm fine. Paul got a call during the competition that one of his friends died in a car accident. It was one of the friends I met. Paul was really shaken up so I told him I'd come with him, just so he would have me on the flight. He really needed me mom. I swear we were going to look for you but we had to make it to the airport for the next flight out. I'm really sorry how everything turned out and I wish it could have happened differently but it didn't."

"Natasha your father and I have been worried sick. When we called your cell phone and then realized I had it we had no clue where you were or how we would get a hold of you. You could have been kidnapped for all we knew." At that statement I felt really guilty.

"Mom, I'm really, really sorry about it all. You can give me any punishment when you get home. Grounding, no skating, no allowance, anything just please understand that we had to leave when we did and Paul needs me." I heard my mom sigh before she responded.

"Alright Natasha, I understand. Our flight isn't until Sunday at seven but we expect you to be home when we get there."

"Thank you mommy," I said before hanging up. At least she understood enough to forgive me. Otherwise I never would have forgiven myself.

* * *

Sam and Quil showed up for twenty minutes at lunchtime. They had both been on patrol since last night and looked exhausted. Emily stacked their plates with tons of food: chicken, cheeseburgers, fries, sausage, toast, green beans, and a huge slice of freshly baked apple pie. I still didn't understand how she could cook enough food to feed all of them, especially in her condition. She waddled around the kitchen with a pan in one hand and a plate in the other, constantly working.

As she worked, I sat with Jenny and fed her creamed peas. I offered to help with the guys but Emily turned me down, saying I was much more useful keeping Jenny occupied. When Quil left and then came back with Claire, stating he was supposed to be babysitting, my job description went up.

Claire was probably the cutest thing since cherry pie. She was three and adorable. She had on a pair of pink jeans and a matching pink shirt with butterflies and flowers on it. Her wispy brown hair was pulled back into little pigtails on either side of her head and the pieces that were too short were held back with pink barrettes.

As soon as Quil let her down on the ground, she walked over to me and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Claire. I'm three," she announced and I smiled before bending over and taking her teeny tiny hand in mine.

"I'm Natasha. I'm seventeen," I told her and her eyes got wide.

"Woah. That's big," she said in awe. "Want to watch a movie with me? I brought one." As she said this she dropped her little book bag on the ground and began to rummage through it.

"So it's okay that she stays here then?" Quil was asking and Emily nodded.

"Oh yeah, she'll be fine. You just go out there with your brothers. We'll handle things here," she told him and he heaved a sigh of relief before kneeling down beside Claire.

"I'll be back later okay? You stay here with Emily and Natasha?" Claire seemed to be ignoring him as she continued to dig through her bag. It looked like she had her entire toy chest stuffed inside.

"Mhm that's fine," she said with a little wave of her hand. Quil smirked and kissed her on the top of the head before standing up.

"Thanks," he said again before turning and jogging out of the house.

"I got Enchanted, Aladdin, and Finding Nemo," she announced suddenly as she pulled the three DVD cases out and held them up. I looked them over and then smiled.

"Enchanted?" I offered and she shrugged.

"Okay, but I sing along. Mommy said it's 'nnoying," I grinned.

"Well I like to sing along too," I told her and she looked up at me with a big smile.

"We can sing together!" she exclaimed.

So that's how Paul, Jared, and Seth found us an hour later. Claire was standing on the couch, I was standing on the floor, and both of us were belting our lungs out to 'That's How You Know.'

"How do you know he loves you!? How do you know he's yours!?" we both cried as we danced around the living room.

"This is interesting..." Seth said and I jumped, spinning around to look at them.

"Hi boys!" Claire shouted quickly before going back to singing. I laughed as I walked over to give Paul a quick kiss.

"We're singing along," I told him and he nodded, a smirk plastered on his face.

"I can tell," he stated with a chuckle.

"Tasha!" Claire shouted suddenly. "You stopped singing!" I made a face at Paul before turning around.

"Sorry Claire," I said as I went back into the room and began to sing again. She grabbed my hand and together we began dancing in a circle, singing and giggling. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the three guys walk out of the room. As soon as the song was done, I turned to Claire. "I'm going to go see the boys for a bit okay?" I asked her and she pouted. "I promise I'll come back but I haven't seen them in awhile."

"Fine," she said with an overly dramatic sigh. I smiled before turning and jogging out of the room. The boys were seated around the table and Emily was already cooking them food.

"Hi," I said as I came up behind Paul, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "Any news?" He shook his head.

"Nothing. Sam's supposed to be going to check in with the Cullens though so he might have news soon. How did you sleep last night?" I smiled as he pulled his chair out and patted his leg. I sat down and draped my arm around his neck.

"Like a baby. I didn't even wake up when you left this morning." Paul chuckled.

"You didn't even wake up when I took your clothes off." Across from us, Seth choked on his orange juice. Paul rolled his eyes. "When I changed her into her pajamas loser," he explained and Jared laughed as he hit Seth on the back a couple times.

"I liked the flowers though. Nice touch," I told him as I leaned in to kiss him on the nose. "When are you on patrol until?" Emily walked over and set heaping plates in front of all three of them. As Paul leaned around me to begin eating I tried to get up to get out of his way but he pulled me back down, holding me down like a vice.

"No way," he whispered in my ear and I felt goose bumps travel down my back. "I'm on patrol until ten unless something else happens. What are your plans?" I pointed into the other room.

"Babysitting," I said with a smile. He grinned and pulled me in for another kiss.

"Please not at the table, I'm eating," Seth whined and Paul just flipped him the finger, keeping his lips attached to mine.

I sat with the boys until Claire shouted my name.

"Tasha! It's another song!" she cried and I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"Time to go sing," I said with a smile as I ran out of the room, hoping to get there before she shouted again. The TV showed the ball scene and Claire ran over to me when I showed up.

"Dance with me!" she cried as she held up her arms. I picked her up and then began to spin her around, pretending we were waltzing as we sang to the slow song.

"Dip," I said during the break as I leaned her backwards. She giggled as she tilted her head.

"You look funny upside down," she said and I looked up to see Paul standing opposite us. He smiled as I brought Claire back upright and continued to twirl around. "No talking until the song is done," Claire ordered and I glanced at Paul just as he shut his mouth and looked at me with wide eyes. I grinned as I spun her one last time before holding her as the song finished. "Okay, now you can talk," she said as she wiggled out of my arms and went back to sit in front of the TV.

"Are you leaving?" I asked and he nodded, pulling me into his arms.

"Yeah, we've gotta get back out there. I'll see you later tonight though?" he asked and I smiled.

"I dunno...I might have a sleepover with Claire," I teased and he groaned.

"Please don't. Have a sleepover with me instead," he begged and I sighed dramatically.

"Fine. I guess I'll have to reschedule with Claire," he nodded as he pulled me close.

"Damn right," he said as he leaned down to kiss me.

"Bad word!" Claire screamed as she ran past us and into the kitchen. "He said a bad word!" she shouted over and over and Paul sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"You better go apologize," I told him and he looked at me. "You said a bad word." He groaned in defeat before following Claire into the kitchen and getting down on his knees.

I have to admit the sight was adorable. Claire had her arms crossed and was shaking her head as Paul begged her for forgiveness.

"I'll take you out for ice cream sometime," he offered with a sigh and a smile spread across her face.

"Okay," she said cheerfully before walking back past me to plop down in front of the TV again.

"Bye," I said with a laugh as Paul gave me a final kiss before walking out behind Jared and Seth.

* * *

The rest of the day I spent keeping an eye on Claire. Different members of the pack came and went, grabbing food and updating us on what was going on. Around seven o'clock, when Claire had been out cold for about thirty minutes, Quil and Sam walked through the door together, both looking solemn. As Quil grabbed all of Claire's stuff before picking her carefully up off the couch, Sam walked into the kitchen to see Emily. I stood there awkwardly until Sam called my name. I looked up at Quil and he gave me an apologetic look.

"Thanks; you know, for watching her," he told me before walking out of the house. I took a deep breath before turning and walking into the kitchen. Emily was sitting at the table and Sam was standing by the sink, looking out the window.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately as Emily looked up at me. I figured there was no point in beating around the bush. Something was wrong and I wanted to know exactly what it was.

"Timothy will get here around dinnertime tomorrow," Sam said as he turned away from the window. I frowned.

"How do you know?" I asked, confused.

"Alice Cullen. She's a vampire and she can see the future. She sees him arriving in Quillayute tomorrow to look for you there. Around six or so he suddenly disappears from her vision. That means we've crossed his path." None of this made sense. A vampire they knew could see the future but when her sight went blank that meant the vampire found us?

"What does this mean?" I asked, hoping he would clear things up.

"It means we fight him tomorrow," he stated plainly and I gasped.

"Oh no, no you can't! I can leave. I'll lead him away from here or something. I can't put all of you in danger." I felt really bad for all of this and the terrified look on Emily's face only made me feel worse. Sam shook his head however and came over to rest his hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine. This is what we're made for; killing vampires. You're a member of our pack now and we'll do whatever we can to protect our pack." I nodded as I felt tears begin to fill my eyes. No one had ever been so firm about me being a part of their family. Sure, I had my own family but they never just came out and stated what Sam had just said.

"Thank you," I told him and he nodded.

"Paul's coming to get you when he gets off patrol at ten." I frowned.

"Coming to get me?" Sam nodded.

"Since there's no threat tonight, you're free to go back to his place. He'll bring you back tomorrow before dinnertime."

Sure enough, at ten on the dot Paul came through the door and found me making the bed. He leaned against the doorframe and watched me until I was done. Wordlessly, he took my hand and led me out to his truck. We stayed silent the whole way home until we walked through his door. Turning to me quickly, he pulled me in for a rough kiss. This kiss was different than others we'd shared. It was more desperate, more final. At that moment I knew he was just as scared about tomorrow as I was.

Pulling my legs up to wrap around his hips, he walked through the hallway and into his bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door behind us.

* * *

Two hours later we were both still awake, still not talking. As we lay there, wrapped around each other as tightly as possible, I traced his tattoo with my fingers. He watched me, his eyes filled with so much passion I was glad the room was too dark for him to see my blush.

"You know what I love about you?" he asked suddenly and I turned to him with a smile.

"There's only one thing?" I asked, teasing. He paused before speaking again.

"You know what I love about your feet?" he asked and I laughed as he reached down to grab one.

"No, what do you love about my feet?" I asked, wondering why he was ruining this moment with something so silly.

"I love how you can use them so gracefully on the ice. Your feet are what makes you the skater and that amazes me." His statement caught me off guard and I just stared at him. "You know what I love about your legs?" he asked next and I just shook my head. "I love how soft they feel when you drape them over me at night; or when they rub against me when you sleep." I wondered where he was going with this. "You know what I love about your...hips," he said teasingly and I giggled.

"No," I said between giggles and he smiled.

"I love how my hands fit perfectly around them when I kiss you," he said. "You know what I love about your stomach?" I shook my head again. "I love how soft it is and every time we lay down I just want to use it as a pillow." I smirked but held back a laugh. As funny as that was, this was probably the most amazing, loving speech anyone had ever given me. "You know what I love about your boobs?" he asked and I rolled my eyes. "No, really. I love how perfectly they fit in my palms, like they were made for me."

"Paul..." I started but he cut me off.

"Let me finish," he said, putting his finger to my lips. "Know what I love about your neck?" I shook my head. "I love how feminine it is. It's so long and smooth I could stare at it all day and still love it just as much." He leaned over to place a kiss on my neck before continuing. "You know what I love about your fingers? I love how they feel when you trace circles on my skin when you think I'm asleep." I frowned. He knew I did that? "You know what I love about your hands? I love how they feel when I hold them in mine. They're small, but they fit with mine just right."

"Paul..." I began again but he shook his head and reached for my wrist, pulling my arm up.

"You know what I love about your arms? I love when you gently drape them around my neck when we kiss. The gentle, lazy kisses are my favorite because of that. Know what I love about your chin?" I looked at him expectantly. "I love the little dimple that only appears in the middle when you really laugh at something." I frowned again. I had a chin dimple? "You know what I love about your cheeks? I love when I make you blush and your cheeks turn a happy red. You know what I love about your nose?" He was going faster now, hoping to finish before I cut him off.

Yeah right. No way was I cutting this monologue off.

"I love when you get confused about something and you scrunch your nose up. You get these cute little wrinkles that make you look twice as adorable. You know what I love about your eyes? I love how I can glance at them for a second and immediately get lost in them for hours. You know what I love about your forehead? I love when you get mad at me about something and that little frown line appears across the middle. When that happens, I can't even try to mad back at you." I grinned. Now I knew how to keep him from getting angry at me when we fought. "Know what I love about your ears? I love when you tuck your hair behind them subconsciously when you're nervous. You know what I love about your hair? I love how silky smooth it feels in my hands when we really kiss." Stopping, he glanced down at my lips and I knew what was left. "You know what I love about your lips?" he asked as he moved closer.

"No," I whispered before he filled the distance between us and pulled me into the gentlest, most sensual kiss we had ever shared. After a couple minutes he broke away and rested his forehead against mine to catch his breath.

"That," he said before leaning in to kiss me quickly. "You know what I love about you?" I shook my head, keeping my eyes closed as I waited for another kiss. "Everything," he whispered against my lips before crushing them to mine again. I lost every rational thought in my head as we drifted back down among the sheets.

* * *

_So yeah...the ending got kinda intense...kinda. I don't think I portrayed the intenseness as well as I could...oh well. What did you guys think of Paul's little monologue??? Honestly, if a guy said all that to me...I would melt into a puddle and ask him where the damn ring was. Probs the most romantic thing EVER...at least in my opinion. Tell me what **YOU** think!!!!!!!! **REVIEW**!!!!!!_


	22. Chapter 21

_Okay, so I am posting this chapter in honor of the fact that I **FINISHED** writing this story last night!!! Yep, you read right, I finished it!!!!!!!!! It's such a relief, yet at the same time I can't believe it's done!! Well, done for me at least; you guys still have a bit to go...lol_

_Also, I loved reading all your reviews SOOO much, I decided I HAD to take the time to respond to them. If you all can take the time to read them, I should do my part too!_

_**GreenEyes555**- Yeah, usually when guys say romantic things, it makes me cry haha. Thanks so much for reading, and I'm glad you think it's the sweetest thiing you've ever read on fanfiction. Thanks a bunch!!!!_

_**BooBoo33**-haha yeah, I read that part over a couple times after I wrote it, just because I wish a guy had actually said all that to me!_

_**missyeliizabeth**- haha don't cry! It's happy!!!!! I'm glad you really enjoy reading this so much! I'm sorry if my sporadic updating gets annoying haha._

_**taybaybay**- haha thanks! I think you're freaking AMAZING for reading and reviewing! It means so much!!!_

_**Skyler1510**- Yeah, I like the idea of the super tough guys who are absolutely adorable with their gfs. I want a tough guy!!!!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Thanks for reviewing yet again!!!!!!! I'm glad you thought the ending was adorable. I think we can all agree we'd be puddles haha_

_**spannieren**-Yeah, I liked the babysitting part too. I also loved just writing Claire's personality. I think the interaction between her and Paul is one of my favorite parts of this story...second only to Paul's monologue lol_

_**CourageToStandAlone**- Don't worry, I won't let you cry your eyes out. Glad you love it!!!_

_**ForeverTeamEdward** and **American History Lover2009**- Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! It means so much to me!!!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul only had ten hours with Natasha before the shit would hit the fan.

He was currently lying on his side, his arm draped over Natasha's hip as he stared at the clock. He was torn between wanting to spend every last second with her and wanting to let her get as much sleep as she needed. Finally opting on the second choice, he slowly climbed out of bed and slipped on his boxers before walking down the hall to the kitchen.

Breakfast. He needed something in his stomach or he was going to explode. Popping toast in the toaster, he opened the fridge and pulled out some food Emily had sent home with them. Muffins, a casserole, and some cinnamon buns sat waiting for him. Tossing the cinnamon buns in the microwave and putting the casserole in the oven, Paul grabbed his phone to check if he had any missed calls.

None. At least that was a good thing. It meant nothing they hadn't been expecting happened. Timothy wouldn't get there until the evening, meaning everything was going according to plan.

While he waited for the food to be done, he found himself drifting down the hallway to the guest room. Shoving his way through all the junk inside, he stopped when he got to the elegant dresser against the back wall. Its oak finish wasn't as glossy as it used to be, but it still looked just as magnificent as it did when it used to reside in his parents' bedroom. Sliding open the top drawer, he reached in and pulled out a medium-sized jewelry box. Lifting the lid, he smiled as soft music began to play. Even after all these years it still worked.

Looking through the contents of the jewelry box, he smiled wider when he finally found what he was looking for. Closing his fingers around it, he closed the box, the music from inside slowly fading to nothing again. Paul set it back down on the dresser before turning and wading through the junk, back out to the hallway.

After all the food was done heating up, he put together two plates before carrying them back to his room. Inside, Natasha was still sound asleep, curled up in the fetal position on her side of the bed. Paul grinned as he set the plates down on his bedside stand before walking over to kneel down beside the bed.

"Natasha," he whispered softly as he brushed the hair away from her face. She sighed and yawned before fluttering her eyes open and looking at him.

"Morning," she said before slowly getting up, pulling the covers up with her to cover her body. "What time is it?" she asked as he reached for her bra which had been tossed behind the door.

"Almost eight," he said as he handed it to her before going back to get the plates. "I made breakfast," he told her as he carried them over. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he caved. "Okay, Emily made breakfast. I just reheated it," he corrected himself and she laughed.

Together they sat and ate, making friendly, comfortable conversation. Stuck in their little bubble, it was almost as if nothing existed outside. There was no Timothy, no wolves, no ice skating. Just them, together.

"What time do we have to be at Sam's again?" Natasha asked as they ate.

"Uh, around five. That way we can get things settled before I leave you." Natasha nodded in thought before setting her plate on the ground and lying backwards on the bed.

"Can we just stay in bed all day? Just the two of us?" she asked and Paul grinned before leaning to hover over her.

"Most definitely," he said with a smile before leaning down to attach his lips to her neck.

* * *

As five o'clock neared, Paul and Natasha refused to move from the positions they were in, snuggling close to each other for comfort. When he knew they finally couldn't delay it any longer, Paul slowly sat up.

"Nooooo," Natasha whined as she tried to pull him back. He looked down at her apologetically.

"We can't. We have to get you to Sam's before Timothy shows up," he told her before climbing out of bed and walking over to pull on his shorts. When they were on, he glanced back at Natasha before hurrying out of the room and to the kitchen.

Finding what he was looking for right where he'd left it on the counter; he grabbed it before heading back to the bedroom. Natasha still hadn't moved from the bed and he laughed, walking over to her.

"Am I going to have to dress you again?" he asked and she smiled widely, closing her eyes to stretch her arms above her head as if she expected him to slide her shirt on her. He sat down beside her and then looked into her eyes. "I have something for you," he told her and she looked at him curiously, sitting up and pulling the sheets up around her again.

"What is it?" she asked and he held his hand out, opening it so she could see what he was holding.

There, sitting in his palm, was a ring.

It was silver and had a single diamond in the middle about the size of a tiny pea. Surrounding it was a ring of smaller diamonds, making the top of the ring a large circle.

"Oh Paul," Natasha gasped as she reached out her finger to touch it, then stopped midway. "It's beautiful."

"It's yours," he said with a smile and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Try it on." She smiled as she held out her hand for him. He picked the ring up in his right hand and slowly slid it onto her left ring finger.

It was a perfect fit.

"It feels like it was made for me," she said as she held up her hand to admire it.

"Well I know you were made for me, maybe it's fate," he told her as he rested his chin on her shoulder so he could look at the ring too.

"Where did you get it?" she asked as she leaned her head so it rested against his.

"It was my mother's," he said and she turned to look at him, breaking contact. He knew what she wanted to know so he answered her unasked question. "She died, when I was thirteen. Car accident." Natasha wrapped her arms around Paul and pulled him close.

"What about your father?" she asked and he stayed silent for a moment, stroking her hair.

"He left when I was sixteen. He was never much of a dad anyway. Always smacking me around and yelling at me. Then one day I came home from school and he was gone. Left a note telling me I could have the house as long as I upheld the damn family name." Natasha sighed and pulled him closer, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I know you're mother's still here with you. She's right in here," she said as she placed her hand on his chest. "As for your father...he may be gone, but I love you enough to make up for his absence." She smiled at him and he looked at her for a minute before grinning and giving her a kiss.

"And I love you enough to make me realize I don't need him," he told her as he glanced over at the clock. "Now come on, no more stalling. Time to head over to Sam's." Natasha heaved an overly-dramatic sigh as she stood up and put her clothes back on before beginning to pack her things. Paul sat on the bed and watched her, smiling the whole time. How could he get lucky enough to imprint on her?

"All ready," she said in a depressed tone a few minutes later and he laughed.

"C'mon then," he said, taking her hand and leading the way to the door.

"Wait," Natasha said when they got to the doorway, coming to a stop. Paul turned to her with a sigh.

"We really can't be late," he told her and she nodded, looking slightly nervous. "What's wrong?" he asked and she paused as if she was trying to think of what to say.

"Can I,uh...can I see you phase again? I won't run away this time, I promise." Paul heaved a louder sigh this time and looked outside before looking back at her.

"Fine, as long as you promise for sure you won't run. I don't have time to go looking for you," he teased and she smiled. Then he turned and pulled down his shorts.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a confused tone and he turned to her, naked.

"If I phase while I'm wearing my shorts, they'll get torn to shreds." Then he leaned in toward her. "Not like you haven't seen me before," he whispered in her ear and he smirked when he saw her shiver. "Okay, stand back," he told her as he walked into the middle of the yard and closed his eyes, concentrating on phasing.

It only took a couple minutes before he felt himself start to grow too tight for his skin. Then all of a sudden a ripping noise sounded and he collapsed down on four legs. Immediately he felt Seth and Quil's presences in his mind but he ignored them. Glancing at his paws briefly, he shot his head up to look at Natasha.

She was standing on the bottom step of the house, watching him cautiously. Slowly, he walked toward her, taking his time in case she was scared.

"Wow," she breathed when he got within a couple feet of her. She stretched her arm out and he brought his head up to allow her to pet him. She smiled as she ran her fingers through his long, shaggy fur. "You're beautiful," she told him and he looked at her and wrinkled his snout, causing her to laugh. "I'm sorry. I meant to say you were handsome," she corrected and his wrinkles smoothed out. He plopped down into a sitting position and wagged his tail a couple times as she continued to pet him.

"Alright," she said after a few more minutes had gone by. "Let's go to Sam's so you can leave me to risk your life." He let out a barking laugh as he took a step away and then concentrated on phasing back. Soon he was standing in front of her, human again.

"Want to hand me my shorts?" he asked her and she reached for them and walked over. As she got closer, he locked eyes with her. When she held out his shorts, he took them, never breaking eye contact. "That wasn't too bad was it?" he asked as he pulled the shorts on. She shook her head.

"You're kind of like a big puppy," she told him with a grin and he laughed as he pulled her in to give her another kiss.

"I love you," he said with a laugh before leading them to his truck.

* * *

It took fifteen minutes to drive over to Sam's. In that amount of time, they may have pulled over for five minutes of making out. Paul figured they deserved it because of what they were about to go through.

"Finally," Sam said as they walked through the door. "I was just gonna call you. I said to be here by five and it's already 5:20." Paul rolled his eyes as he gently pushed Natasha into the kitchen.

"Relax, give us a break. Natasha needed some more calming down. She's not as used to this as well all are," he explained as he glanced up to where Natasha and Emily were currently hugging. Sam sighed.

"Fine. Seth, Leah, Jacob, and Embry are out back talking over some stuff. Quil was dropping Claire off with her mom and then picking up Jared and Kim before heading over. Brady and Collin are supposed to get here right before we head out at six." Paul nodded. Everything was planned.

"We're here!" Jared shouted as he plowed through the door, Kim and Quil behind him.

"Where is she?" Kim asked as soon as she was in the house. Paul pointed to the kitchen as everybody made their way in that direction. "Natasha!" Kim cried as she ran forward to throw her arms around her friend. "I am so sorry I couldn't come up to Canada for your competition. Jared didn't want me up there on account of the..." she trailed off from the look Paul gave her but Natasha nodded.

"I understand. It's fine. You'll just have to watch me skate another time," she said and Kim smiled. Obviously she was glad Natasha forgave her.

"Ready to go out with the others?" Sam asked and Paul turned to him. He hadn't thought about saying bye to Natasha. His mind had only thought about bringing her to Sam's; he had refused to think any farther than that. But now it was here and it was time for him to say goodbye.

"Natasha," he called softly and she came to him, walking right up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's time for us to head out," he told her and she wrinkled her nose before leaning in to rest her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "I promise I'll come for you as soon as it's over," he said before kissing her on the head. Then she pulled away and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.

"I know. Be careful, be safe, be smart," he grinned and she frowned. "I'm serious. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me," he told her with a scoff. "I'm more worried about losing you."

"I can handle myself here with Kim and Emily. Just come back soon," she said and he nodded.

"I love you," he told her, knowing he meant it now more than he ever had. She smiled as both her eyes began to water up.

"I love you too," she told him as one single tear fell. He lifted his hand to rub his thumb under her eye, wiping away the tear. Then he leaned in to kiss her cheek where the tear had been before dipping his head to capture her lips in a pure kiss.

"Come on!" Sam shouted from the doorway. As he said this, Collin and Brady walked inside, ready to play their roles as "watchdogs." With one final look at Natasha, Paul turned and followed Jared and Sam outside.

* * *

_So there ya go! Hope everyone enjoyed this, somewhat short, chapter! Reviews would be AWESOME!!!! Love you all!!!!!_


	23. Chapter 22

_Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I'll do review responses but first I want to address something:_

_**THIS STORY DOES NOT TAKE PLACE IN LA PUSH. IT TAKES PLACE IN A TOWN CALLED QUILLAYUTE. IT IS 9 MILES WEST OF FORKS.**_

_Sorry, I'm just getting annoyed with people who keep messaging me to tell me I'm spelling Quileute wrong and that I must mean the story takes place in La Push. No, it doesn't. I know what I'm talking about._

_Anywho, onto review responses!!!!_

_**spannieren**-haha I think A LOT of people wish they could stay in bed all day with Paul!_

_**taybaybay**-glad I could make my story your addiction! better than drugs haha_

_**Skyler1510**-I'm glad you thought the chapter was cute :) So did I_

_**CourageToStandAlone**-awww I'm sorry you cried!! lol I hope this chapter doesn't bother you too much..._

_**laurazuleta18**-I was debating doing something with Collin and Brady, but I wanted the scene to be more tension-filled. idk, let me know what you think after you read this. I just couldn't find a way to put anything funny in._

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**-wow, your comment made me soo happy! I was worried my writing of the story wasn't good enough, but the fact that it seems real to you means so much to me!! Thank you!!!!_

_**TeamJacob13**-I've been tossing around story ideas...but I don't want to give too much away yet... ;)_

_**ForeverTeamEdward13** and **SamandJake**-thanks so much for reading and reviewing!_

* * *

NATASHA:

Alone. That was how I felt right now. I was sitting at the kitchen table with Kim across from me and Emily next to us leaning against the counter and still, I felt alone.

Paul was gone. He had left with Sam and the guys roughly an hour ago. Since then, none of us had talked. The three of us just sat wordlessly in the kitchen, looking off into space as we were in our own little worlds. All three of our men were currently out doing who knows what and we didn't want to talk about it. Talking about it only made it seem more real.

As I sat there, staring at the green wallpaper in the kitchen, I thought back on what had happened in the past fifteen hours.

I had always thought people who stayed all day in bed were either really lazy, really horny, or both. After spending the day in bed with Paul, I had a whole new appreciation for it. It was amazing, just lying there with each other all day. There's nothing more comforting in the world than that.

Being together today had been extremely calming, yet nerve-wracking at the same time. As we lay there, lost in each other, the ever-nearing end sat staring at us. Knowing that at five o'clock we would be off to possible doom kept tearing at me, making me keep myself from completely enjoying the short amount of time we had.

Growing tired of the wallpaper, I blinked a couple times before looking down at my hand. What caught my attention was the diamond ring on my left ring finger. I smiled subconsciously as I looked at it, remembering how it had gotten on my finger.

It had to be the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. I've always liked vintage rings more than the new ones. Not only did they seem classier, they also had such great sentimental value. The fact that Paul cared about me enough to give me his mother's ring made me want to cry, I was so happy.

"Natasha what's wrong?" Emily asked suddenly and I turned to see both Kim and Emily looking at me. Both had looks on their face of mixed curiosity and worry. Touching my fingers to my cheeks, I realized they were wet. I had been crying. I smiled to show them it was okay and held out my hand. Kim immediately gasped and launched from her chair to pull me into a hug.

"Oh my God!" she screamed. "That is amazing! I'm so excited! When are you getting married?" I blushed at all her questions as I detached myself from her hug, only to be pulled into one by Emily, her protruding stomach making it awkward.

"Congratulations," she said calmly and I smiled. "Welcome to the family."

"So when's the wedding?" Kim repeated and I sighed, shrugging.

"I've only known him for about three weeks. I think if I told my parents one, that I was getting married before I was 18 and two, I was getting married to someone I hadn't even known for a month, they might be a little against it. Although I'm excited and happy we're engaged, I think I'm going to tell him I don't want to get married until we've at least been dating for a year. It won't really affect anything and it'll make my parents a little more comfortable I think," I explained and both of them nodded. Then Kim looked at us awkwardly.

"Well, if we're in the exciting news part of the day...I'm pregnant." Emily and I both looked at her with wide eyes and she shrugged with an awkward grin. "Not planned of course but exciting none-the-less." Emily smiled.

"Kim that's exciting. You'll make a great mom," she told her and Kim nodded. "How does Jared feel?" At her question, Kim's smile went away.

"Uh...I haven't exactly told him yet," she said slowly. "I don't really know how he'll take it and I'm kinda nervous to tell him." I leaned over the table to take her hands in mine.

"Kim, you helped me once when I needed it, now it's my turn to help you. Jared loves you; he loves you more than anything. If you're happy, he'll be happy remember? I'm sure he'll be just as excited about it as you are." Kim nodded at my statement, looking down at her lap as tears began to fall. I hurried over to pull her into a hug. "You are such a strong woman, don't let this scare you. Jared's going to love you no matter what and I don't know why you're worried. He'll make a great dad and I know he'll love your baby as much as he loves you." Kim nodded into my shoulder as we stood there. A cry from the other room alerted Emily and she quietly tiptoed out to take care of Jenny.

Kim and I stood there in silence, continuing to hug each other for the support we both needed.

* * *

Three hours. That's how long it had been since Paul walked out that door and it was driving me insane. Emily was sitting in the living room, Jenny on her lap and the phone resting patiently in her hand. There had been no word from Sam; no word from anybody.

Collin and Brady were both stationed outside the doors, both in wolf form. I assumed that if anything important or bad happened, they'd tell us if need be. Therefore, I took their silence as a good thing. The only time we had actually seen them was when Brady came in to grab food for the two of them to eat. Emily, as if on autopilot, had made her usual amount so both Brady and Collin would have plenty to eat. He had smirked and thanked Emily quietly before walking back out the door, allowing the house to be filled with silence once again.

"I'm going insane," Kim said silently as she walked past me. She had been pacing for the past hour and a half, making laps around the house nonstop. Occasionally she would stop and rest her hands on her stomach, glancing down at them. I assumed the gesture had to do with what she had just told us was inside her and I hoped the thought would help calm her down. I took to sitting in the comfy arm chair and watching her. It didn't do anything to help calm me but it was something to do.

What were the boys doing? Surely it didn't take this long to get this vampire. I wished Paul could call or text me; anything to let me know he was okay. All this waiting around was making me extremely nervous. All three of us were going insane. At least Emily had Jenny to keep her occupied but she wasn't entirely paying attention, letting her daughter just play with toys on the floor.

I shot an envious look at the little girl. At least she got to be carefree. She didn't know anything of what was going on around us and I was jealous of that. She just sat there playing with a doll in each hand while outside, somewhere, her father was taking on a vampire.

When the phone rang around seven we all jumped. I had this fleeting idea in my mind that it was my mom, calling to find out why I wasn't home yet. Then I remembered she didn't know Sam's phone number.

"Hello?" Emily asked as she calmly answered it. I watched as her face slowly began to change to one of horror.

"What is it?" Kim and I asked but Emily ignored us.

"What are you talking about?" she asked harshly and we both took a step forward, straining our ears to hear better. "I thought you couldn't see the pack!" I looked at Kim. It was that one Cullen, the one who could see the future. "So what are you saying then? What are we supposed to do? Alright, fine. Fine. Just let us know," Emily said before hanging up.

"What is it?" Kim asked again as Emily turned to us.

"Something goes wrong," she said softly and our eyes widened.

"What do you mean something goes wrong?" I asked, hoping she would clarify and it would only be something small.

"I don't know. Alice didn't even know. She just said she saw Carlisle and Edward running out of the house shouting that something was wrong." I sighed and put my hand up to my mouth.

Something goes wrong. That could mean Paul gets hurt. Or killed. Or any of them. Any of them could get hurt or killed, all because of me.

"We have to warn them," I said but Emily shook her head.

"Sometimes Alice's visions don't come true. They're only true until someone changes their mind. Maybe her vision shows something going wrong because we try to interfere. "I sighed.

"Or maybe it'll change when we do something. We have to tell Collin and Brady. They'll do something about it," I said and Emily nodded before walking over to open the door.

"Collin! Brady!" she called and I turned to head into the kitchen as she began to talk to them, telling them all that Alice had just told her on the phone. As she talked to them, I thought everything over.

This was all because of me. Without me, they wouldn't be going through this. Paul would have killed that vampire and Timothy would have just been mad. He wouldn't have threatened my life and made all the pack decide to protect me. This was my fault; and I had to fix it. I had to warn them.

Making sure Emily and Kim were busy with Brady and Collin, I walked out of the kitchen and snuck to the back of the house. Making sure I made as little noise as possible, I opened the back door and walked out, looking around to make sure no one was watching me. Then I took off at a run into the woods.

The woods had the damp, wintry feeling to them. All the bark on the trees felt soaked, and the ground squished beneath my feet. I had no clue where I was going and I had no plan. The only thing on my mind was to find Paul or one of the pack and tell them what Alice had said. They were all in danger.

As I walked deeper and deeper in the woods, I began to get anxious. What if I didn't find the pack? I could get lost in here and no one could ever find me.

"You're so stupid," I said to myself as I looked around, trying to decide which would be the best way to go. I could be going in the complete opposite direction for all I knew. I didn't even have my cell phone to call anyone. Emily and Kim would have already noticed I was missing, but they wouldn't know where I had gone. Collin and Brady would warn the pack, but who knew how long it would take them to find my trail and follow it.

A twig snapped to my left and I gasped, jumping nervously. I had been so focused on getting lost I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings.

"H-hello?" I asked as I looked around me. All I saw was trees and leaves. Picking up my pace, I walked more briskly through the woods, trying to figure out where I was going.

All of a sudden I came to a quick stop.

What if Timothy found me before Paul did? That thought hadn't occurred to me until just now, and now my reckless decision seemed even more stupid.

I definitely heard a snap the second time. Spinning around, I found myself looking at...nothing. Just woods. I strained my eyes to see if I could see around trees. After looking for a couple minutes I was confident there was nothing. With a sigh, I turned around.

"Well, well, well," the man standing directly in front of me said. "What are you doing alone and so deep in the woods?" I stared wordlessly with wide eyes. His skin was so pale and his eyes were so red. I had never seen him before but something about him told me he wasn't going to help me.

"Natasha dear, you know it's not very safe to be in the situation you've found yourself in," he said as he began to walk in a circle around me.

It all clicked.

"Timothy," I choked out and he nodded, grinning. Obviously he was pleased I knew who he was.

"Where is your brave werewolf boyfriend?" he asked me and I looked around, hoping I would see one of the pack weaving through the trees. "I can tell you don't know," he responded for me and I tried to think of a way to lie myself to safety. "Isn't this a shame. I had hoped to kill you in front of him the way he killed Venora. A mate for a mate and all that you understand." He frowned in thought and I took this pause to make a run for it.

I barely made it ten feet before my foot got caught underneath a root. With a loud snap, I fell forward, landing on the ground. I screamed in pain as I reached for my foot. My ankle was caught underneath the root and my whole foot was twisted in an odd angle. I felt the tears begin to fall as I looked down at my mangled foot.

Skating.

That was the first thing to cross my mind. The second thing was the fact that I was facing my death. As I lay there, attempting to pull my injured foot out of the root, Timothy closed in, walking toward me slowly. There was no reason to hurry; I wasn't going anywhere. He took his sweet old time, terrorizing me as he came closer.

"Isn't this a shame?" he said as he kneeled down beside me, putting his hand on my foot. Immediately I felt the chill spread up my leg. "A young, beautiful ice skater out here all alone falls and ends up killing herself." As he said this, he grabbed my foot and twisted it harder. I screamed in pain as I heard a pop. "What is going to happen to you all alone out here without your werewolf boyfriend to rescue you?" I frowned at him, clenching my teeth to stop from screaming again.

"They'll find you and they'll kill you. You're done." He laughed.

"Oh no dear, you're the one that's done," he said as he twisted my foot sharply again. A few more pops sounded and I bit down on my lip, squeezing my eyes shut to hold in the tears from the pain. It would all be over soon. I just kept telling myself it would all be over soon.

"And just think, if it weren't for your stupid boyfriend and his pack of wolves, you wouldn't even be here right now. You'd still be in Vancouver, celebrating your win with your friends and family. He's the one that pulled you into all this; him and his friends. You're better off this way, away from him. Of course, he'll have the rest of his life to think about this day. The day he lost the love of his life. How does it feel to be in love with a wolf?"

"Wonderful," I gasped out with a frown. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of causing me anger. He tisked.

"Pity, that one so old could be so naive. In just a few moments you will be dead and he'll have that on his mind forever. He's the one that killed you, not me. Just like he killed my Venora, he killed you with his own hands. I wish he were here right now. I want him to witness this, to hear you cry out in pain as I kill you slowly." He paused to look around, almost as if he was wishing Paul would magically appear. I was wishing the same thing, but only so I could see his face one more time. It was a selfish reason, and the thought vanished quickly. I didn't want him to come. I didn't want him to see me like this, and I didn't want Timothy to have the pleasure of getting exactly what he wanted.

"He's not coming. No one knows I'm here so you won't get that satisfaction," I whispered harshly. His head snapped to me with a frown before he smiled.

"Very well. Lucky for you I'm feeling generous today. It was so easy finding you it's put me in a rather good mood. Since Paul doesn't seem to be showing up, instead of torture, I think I'll just kill you quickly, painlessly. I'm getting thirsty anyway. He doesn't have to know it was simple. He can think of how much you suffered in his head, imagining it however he chooses." I knew it was coming, it was almost over. I wanted to stay strong but at this split second I knew I couldn't.

"Please, please don't kill me," I begged, hating myself for it. I knew he wouldn't, but this small part of me hoped he would. I wanted to see Paul again. I wanted to feel him pull me into his arms and swoop his head down to give me a kiss. I wanted him; I wanted him forever.

Timothy laughed.

"Don't tell me you're going to beg. You're wasting your breath," he reached down and ripped my shirt, bearing my neck. "I know it's a little cliché, but it really is the best place to get sufficient blood," he told me before lowering his face to my neck. I let lose a whimper and he brushed my hair out of the way. "Don't worry, it'll be quick. Just thank your boyfriend," he said before I felt his lips brush my skin.

The sharp pierce I felt on my neck made me wince and try to pull away from him. He held me in a vice-like grip as the pierce became worse. I cried out in pain; pain for both my foot and my neck.

This was it, the end. I closed my eyes and pictured Paul in my head. His tall, firm body. His beautiful, dark hair and piercing eyes. The smirk that spread across his face when he looked at me. I felt the touch of his fingers as he stroked my cheek, the feel of his arms as he wrapped them around me. I gave into the memory as I felt the touch of his lips on mine. The soft, yet firm feel they always gave me.

The pain worsened and I screamed out, writhing as I slowly felt myself losing consciousness. I just wanted it all to be over. I just wanted it to end now.

Goodbye Paul.

I love you.

* * *

_Well...there's not much I can say after that...except REVIEW!!!!_

_(also, I hope no one takes offense to my rant before the chapter. It just needed to be said so no one else questions me.)_


	24. Chapter 23

_Wow. That's all I can say for the reviews I've been getting. Wow. It means so much to me guys!!! Thanks a ton!!!!!_

_**Skyler1510**- Sorry! It's just the way it goes sometimes haha. Don't worry, I hate them too..._

_**laurazuleta18**- haha now you have me trying to remember if I spelled everyone's names correctly!!!! lol But I'm glad you loved the chapter. And yeah, Natasha wasn't thinking, but in that kind of situation, would you be thinking rationally? I know I wouldn't!_

_**random miss saranda clearwater**- haha well hopefully Paul will hear you in this chapter_

_**BooBoo33**- I hope this is soon enough to keep you from freaking out...although you might still be freaking out when this chapter is done... ;)_

_**sarah**- PLEASE don't cry!!! And send me the link to your story. It takes place in Quillayute too???? Awesome!!!_

_**taybaybay**- I hope at least *some* of your questions will be answered with this chapter. Not all of them, but some._

_**jblc77**-haha thanks for the compliment! I try to read through each chapter twice after I write it. I'm Editor-in-Chief of my University's student newspaper so I know how to edit haha_

_**NewTwilightEclipse**- Thank you so much for all the compliments. I would make a comment about your little request, but I don't want to give everything away. Just don't decide to hate me until it's all over..._

_**CourageToStandAlone**- Don't hyperventilate!!!!! And thanks for the compliment. I'm pretty sure I'm blushing :)_

_**xiloveanime01x**- Thanks for becoming a reader and thanks for the update!!!!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Don't freak out and don't die!!!!!!!!! Just read the chapter and send another lovely review my way! ;)_

_**TeamJacob13**- Thanks! And yeah, I like the idea of Kim being pregnant, but I had to think about it for a bit to decide if I wanted to put it in there. Glad you like it!_

_**spannieren**- Haha thanks. Since you like the big brave wolves, hope you enjoy this chapter!!!_

_**Twilighter80**- It's okay, I know my note wasn't until a couple chapters in. I just had a lot of people asking me through PMs and stuff. Yeah, I know Natasha was being stupid, but she was only thinking about Paul and everyone she was hurting. She was trying to do what she thought was the right thing._

_**StealthLiberal**- Wow. Seriously, that's all I can say. Your review, whether rambling or not, seriously made my day. When I first saw how long it was, I was like "oh shit, someone hates my story" but as I read it, I just kept smiling wider and wider. Thank you so much for such a touching review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story! And yeah, I know it's hard writing kids. I've been a camp counselor for two years and I have little cousins so I just tried to incorporate all of them into Claire's personality. It was very hard though, so I'm glad you think she came out okay!!!!_

_**Rose-TheDaughterofHades**- Hope this chapter makes you happy!!_

_**Ladey Jezzabella**- I'm glad you love this story. Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter..._

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**_(Note, the beginning of this chapter is in Paul's POV. I'm not really sure why, I just started writing and that's how it came out. Blame my mind haha.)_**

PAUL:

This bloodsucker was continuing to piss me off. Well, him and that future-seeing Cullen. Six o'clock my ass; it was seven now and there was still no sight of him.

_Easy Paul_, Sam's voice echoed in my head and I growled a response, dropping down to lie on the damp forest ground. I wanted to be back with my Natasha more than anything and the more this leech kept me waiting, the more furious I became.

_Maybe he changed his mind_, Seth said but a few of the others were quick to shoot his hopeful suggestion down.

_Alice Cullen would have seen it and she would have called_, Sam reminded us and I sighed. Stupid Cullens.

_How much longer are we going to wait?_ Quil asked. He and Embry were stationed on the far north edge of the Res, continually running up and down the line. At this point I would have given anything to switch with them. At least it gave them something to do besides just sit and wait.

_Until he shows up or we hear otherwise_, Sam said and I heard the collective sigh of the pack. Leah and Seth were stationed along the beach while Jared and Jacob were to the south. Sam and I were to the east, mostly because it was the closest to where Natasha was.

As we waited, I played different scenes over in my mind. Different ideas of how I could kill Timothy while also causing him the most pain. Every time a new idea popped in my head, the others groaned. They didn't try to stop me though; they understood how it felt to be worried for your imprint. Only Leah voiced her opinions.

_You're making me sick_, she said at one point after I had imagined ripping Timothy's head off quite vividly. _Can you keep your thoughts to yourself?_

_I wish_, I snapped back and I heard her growl.

_Guys_, Sam cautioned and Leah sighed.

_He started it_, she said softly and I rolled my eyes, dropping my head to rest in my paws. If something didn't happen soon, I was going to end up going insane.

A howl in the distance caused Sam and I to look up swiftly.

Brady.

_What is it?_ Sam asked and we all stayed silent as we felt Brady's presence.

_That bloodsucker, the Cullen called. Apparently something goes wrong. She just had a vision of Edward and Carlisle running out of the house. She doesn't know what it is but she said something definitely changes._ I groaned my annoyance. Would anything in this plan be certain?

_That could mean anything_, Jared said in a frustrated tone. Before anyone could respond, Collin's mind suddenly became clear. There was only one thing he was thinking of and it made my heart stop.

_Natasha's missing._

Growling, I jumped up and tilted my head back in a loud howl. Then I took off, sprinting back toward Sam's house.

_Paul!_ he shouted after me but I ignored him. _Paul, think this through_, he said and I growled again.

_No. Natasha is missing and that bloodsucker's out there. I have to find her before he does! _If a thought could be shouted, that one would have been. I tore through the bushes, weaving around tree trunks as I made my way to Sam's house. From there I'd be able to smell Natasha and follow her trail.

Hopefully I wouldn't be too late.

* * *

When Paul got to the Ulley's house, Emily and Kim were nervously waiting with Collin and Brady. Paul ignored them as he put his nose to the ground and began to sniff, to smell for Natasha's scent. The others quietly watching him, obviously not wanting to anger him anymore.

He soon found it coming from the back door; a mixture of strawberry and vanilla. Howling to alert that he was on the trail, he took off at a run, keeping his nose lowered to make sure he followed the scent.

As he ran, his mind filled with thoughts, horrible thoughts of what could have happened. Maybe Timothy snuck in the house and kidnapped her.

_Come on Paul, Collin and Brady would have noticed that, you have to give them that_, Jared reminded him and he sighed.

_That means she left of her own will then. Why?_

_Maybe she heard we were in trouble and wanted to help?_ Seth offered but Paul shook his furry wolf head.

_We weren't in trouble!_ he reminded them but Seth cut in again.

_But that Cullen chick thought we were. Maybe Natasha thought you were in trouble and came to help._ Paul groaned.

_I don't want to think about what could be happening right now. I hope that bloodsucker hasn't found her or I swear to God!_ he exclaimed as he tried to pick up the pace, willing himself to get to her faster. In his mind he tried not to imagine what Timothy could possibly be doing to her. He prayed she was still alive. Nothing else mattered as long as she lived.

A loud scream made him snap his ears forward.

_Sam!_ he exclaimed as he tried to run faster.

_I'm phasing to call the Cullens,_ Sam said before his presence disappeared from Paul's head. He knew Sam had heard the scream just like he had. That bloodcurdling, feminine scream could only mean one thing.

Natasha was in trouble.

Growling loudly, Paul followed Natasha's scent and sprinted around a corner...only to stop dead at the sight before him.

It reminded him so much of how they had first seen Venora. Timothy was bent over Natasha, his mouth attached to her neck. Paul let loose a deep growl and launched himself forward. Timothy's head shot up and with an evil grin he dropped Natasha and stood up to meet Paul.

"Well, what have we here? The knight has ridden in on his white horse. Too bad his fair maiden won't be with us much longer." At his comment Paul's head shot to Natasha. She was laying on the ground, her eyes closed and her body lightly twitching. "I'm so glad you could join us. I was afraid she would have to die untheatrically with no audience. Now you can watch her as she writhes in pain." As he said it, Natasha let loose a scream and began to shake more, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Forcing himself to ignore her for now, Paul turned to Timothy with a snarl and a curl of his lips. Timothy just smiled.

"You think you can kill me; I'm sure you can, but you know what? I. Don't. Care. I've lived for over two hundred years. Life doesn't matter to me anymore now that Venora's gone. There's nothing I've wanted more than to watch you suffer as the love of your life dies. It's what you did to me so it's only fair that you show me the same courtesy. Watch her die and know that there's nothing you can do. She'll be gone soon and the rest of your life you'll get to live knowing that you killed her."

With a loud growl Paul dove at Timothy. The vampire waited until the last moment and then jumped out of the way.

"You'll have to do better than that," he said viciously. A howl filled the air and both Paul and Timothy turned just in time to see a large russet-colored wolf fly through the air and land on Timothy, teeth bared.

After a second of hesitation, Paul joined Jacob, bearing his teeth on anything vampire he could. Timothy muffled his screams as the two wolves continued to tear him apart, tossing the pieces around them. Paul worked on autopilot as his mind stayed on Natasha. He needed to make sure Timothy was gone before he went to her. At one point, shock tore through him as he realized Timothy wasn't screaming; he was laughing. Growling at the idea of laughter from the vampire, Paul buried his teeth into cold vampire flesh once more, tearing piece after piece, ignoring everything else.

_Paul_, Sam's voice said softly and Paul lifted his head away from the remainders of Timothy's body. His mind returned to his body as if it had been gone the whole time. With the return of his thoughts came the return of his love. Quickly he spun his head around, turning to where Natasha was. She wasn't alone.

Sam sat in front of her, still in wolf form. Beside him, Carlisle Cullen was leaning over her, examining her neck. Across from him kneeled Edward. Both vampires locked eyes and Paul recognized the look that passed between them.

It was bad.

Quickly phasing and grabbing the shorts wrapped around his leg, he yanked them on as he hurried over to join them. Jacob could handle what was left of the bloodsucker; he needed to be with Natasha.

"How is she?" he asked frantically as he collapsed by her head, taking in her motionless face. Her eyes were closed but he could tell they were moving underneath the eyelids. Her skin was deathly pale and he closed his eyes, not wanting to look at her.

"Not good," Carlisle said softly, just as Natasha let loose another scream and began another fit of twitches. "The poison is beginning to spread." Paul gulped.

"So she'll die?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. The Cullens locked eyes again.

"Not necessarily. He didn't get that much venom in. It seems like she'll only change into-"

"-a vampire," Paul finished before groaning. "Isn't there anything we can do?" he asked furiously and the Cullens locked eyes for a third time. He really wished they would stop that. In the background, the sounds of Jacob continuing to tear apart Timothy were also driving him insane. It seemed everything today was meant to make him go made.

"Well, we could try sucking it out..." Carlisle offered cautiously. Paul nodded his head urgently.

"Anything, please try anything," he said and Edward and Carlisle stood to switch places. As Paul watched, Edward lowered his mouth to cover the large bite wound on Natasha's neck. The slurping sound that soon followed made Paul nauseous. He was sitting, watching as a bloodsucker sucked the blood out of the love of his life.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked, glancing at Carlisle. The doctor had moved down and was beginning to examine Natasha's foot. It was twisted at a funny angle and Paul felt his stomach drop.

Her feet were her life.

"Yes, completely safe. I can't guarantee he'll be able to save her from a fate like ours though. I don't know when he bit her or how much venom passed into her system. We could be too late."

Paul closed his eyes in sad frustration before leaning down and stroking Natasha's hair with his fingers.

"Come on Natasha, you have to live," he whispered as he leaned close to her ear. She cried out in pain again and he reached out to hold her arms down; to hold her still. "You promised. You promised we would get married and raise a family," he pleaded as he watched her. "Jeremy and Megan remember? Make it through this and I promise we can name our kids Jeremy and Megan. We'll do whatever you want if you would just make it through this. I know you're strong enough. I'll give you anything you want. Just don't leave me." His eyes drifted to her hand where the ring he had given her glistened in the sun. He coughed roughly as he felt his throat begin to close up.

"It's working," Carlisle said as he came back up to join Edward at Natasha's side. "Her fits are calming down." Paul glanced up at Carlisle.

"Does that mean she'll be okay?" he asked and Carlisle looked at him with a semi-nod.

"She should be, venom-wise anyway. We'll have to wait until we're able to transport her to my house before I can do further analysis. This is all just speculation at the moment." Paul sighed with a nod as he looked back down at Natasha. Carlisle stood up and pulled out a phone but Paul ignored him. His thoughts were completely on his imprint.

"How is she?" came a voice and Paul looked up to see Embry and Quil running into the area in their human form. He responded by glancing back down at her lifeless body.

"Yeah the jeep. Bring it quickly please," Carlisle's voice said into his cell phone. Then he hung it up and turned to them. "Emmett's bringing his jeep so we can transport Natasha to our house. He should be here soon," he said before turning to Edward. "Edward, that's enough now," he stated and Paul turned to watch as Edward slowly released his mouth from Natasha's mouth. He was glad Edward had let go right away, otherwise he would have had to take action.

True to Carlisle's word, not even five minutes later a loud rumble sounded and a jeep came crashing through the woods. Emmett sat in the driver's seat and as soon as the jeep was in park he jumped out and hurried over to pick Natasha up. On instinct, Paul let loose a guttural growl and everyone looked at him.

"Paul he's just trying to help," Embry advised and Paul gave in, letting Emmett lift Natasha's limp body to place her in the back of the jeep. The vampires knew what they were doing and he didn't want to interfere. If Emmett placed a hand on Natasha anytime after this was over however, he wouldn't be afraid to rip the large Cullen apart.

"You can ride with Emmett and Carlisle," Edward stated and it took Paul a minute to realize he was talking to him. Jumping into the backseat so he could be closest to Natasha, Emmett stepped on the gas before he was even seated.

"It's only a five minute drive home from here," Emmett stated as he drove. Paul glanced at Carlisle.

"How long does she have?" he asked and Carlisle locked eyes with him in the rearview mirror.

"About ten," he said and Paul sighed, turning back to Natasha and reaching out to take her hand in his, letting the engagement ring rub against his finger. She looked so beautiful, lying there peacefully. If it weren't for the large bleeding wound on her neck, he'd say she looked like she was just sleeping. She moaned and twitched slightly, causing him to grip her hand tighter.

"Carlisle!" Paul shouted and the doctor turned around to look at her.

"Edward couldn't get all of the venom out of her. I need to get her hooked up to tubes at home. I have an antidote that will hopefully sterilize the venom." Paul looked at him.

"Hopefully?" he asked and Carlisle nodded with a shrug.

"We've never tested it in this situation before. I already told you, it's all speculation. I can't guarantee anything. All I know is that we need to get her home as soon as possible or she will be far beyond saving." Paul groaned as he turned back to Natasha, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I love you," he told her as he felt a tear threaten to fall from his eye. He had never cried in his life, not since turning ten. Even when his father had beaten him harshly he had kept all tears from his eyes. Now though, now with Natasha's life threatened he felt them fall. She was his everything and he didn't want to lose that.

* * *

Paul paced the hallway outside of the closed door. Behind that door, Natasha was with Carlisle and Alice Cullen. They had been in there for fifteen minutes and he had been in this hallway for fourteen.

As soon as they had arrived at the Cullens house, Emmett and Carlisle had been out of the car and to the door in a matter of seconds, Natasha draped in Emmett's arms. They didn't wait for Paul as they hurried into the house. He ran behind them and tore up the stairs, following them into the room.

"I need to be with her!" he shouted with anger as his fists balled and he began to shake. Carlisle walked over to him calmly.

"Paul, if you want to help her you need to leave. What we have to do will not be pleasant to your eyes and phasing into a wolf in here will not help her at all," he said before Emmett forced Paul into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

"Sorry dude," Emmett said before turning and heading down the stairs. A second later Alice came floating up, walking past Paul and through the door, shutting it again before he had time to blink.

So here he stood, fourteen minutes later. Not a sound had come from behind the door and Paul was wondering whether that was good or bad. The different thoughts floating through his mind were making him go crazy.

"Want something to drink?" a soft voice said and Paul turned to see Bella coming toward him with a pitcher and a glass

He never really understood what Jacob had seen in her. Sure she was pretty, but she was a vampire-lover. Even he could see that Bella had never really cared for Jacob as more than a friend; he couldn't understand how Jacob hadn't seen it.

Looking into the pitcher and seeing water, he glanced at her.

"Got anything stronger?" he asked and Bella smiled at him apologetically before leaving. She returned a minute later with a small glass with what looked like gin in it. Paul took it and downed it in one gulp. Bella surprised him when she held up a clear bottle and refilled the glass. "Thanks," he said as he raised the glass to salute her.

"She'll be fine Paul," Bella told him as she rested an icy hand on his arm. He flinched and she quickly pulled her hand away. "If anyone can fix her, Carlisle can."

"But what if she's-" he choked on his own words, unable to continue. Bella raised an eyebrow.

"What if she's like me?" she finished and he nodded, hating how that idea sounded. Natasha could never be a vampire; he couldn't see her as one. "She'll be fine," Bella reassured him before she left.

After she was gone Paul frowned. She had never shot down his question as being impossible. That idea made him frown in thought. Could be love a vampire?

* * *

_Well? Okay, okay, don't shoot me! I know this is another cliff hanger and I know it didn't answer a lot of your questions, but when I write my mind has a mind of it's own (haha) and it just had the story flow this way. The next chapter will have more, but for now just read and review!!!!!!! I LOVE reviews. They make me super happy! And the happier I am...the sooner another chapter gets put up. I'm not trying to bribe y'all, that's just how it goes. So if you want another chapter up faster, I suggest shooting a review my way to make my day!!! :D_


	25. Chapter 24

Hey guys! So, yesterday I was hit with this HUGE cold out of nowhere. It was like, 7 o'clock pm BAM. So yeah, not feeling to awesome right now. I don't have time to do review responses because I'm off to take a nap. I just wanted to get this posted because I know a lot of people were eager for it. It's in Paul's pov again because, well, Natasha's not available at the moment.

_Hope you all enjoy it!!!!_

* * *

PAUL:

Paul sighed and thumped his head against the wall. He had grown tired of standing and was now currently sitting on the ground, leaning his head against the wall opposite the doorway. It had been an hour since he left Natasha in the hands of the Cullens and he was going insane. In his hands a bottle of beer dangled between his bended legs. It was half empty and he calculated that it would be completely empty in just a few minutes.

When the door across from him opened suddenly, he blinked his eyes at the light and looked up into the face of Carlisle.

"You can come see her now," was all he said as he walked down the hall and down the stairs. Paul shot up and ran into the room, coming to a stop at the sight of Natasha.

She was lying in a white hospital bed, machines beeping all around her. Wires and tubes led from all over her body to the accompanying machines and her leg was wrapped in a thick cast. Alice stood by her head, stroking her hair in a soothing manner.

"How is she?" Paul choked out as he walked over and took her hand.

"She'll live," Alice said and Paul looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes. "She'll live and she'll be human," she said and Paul heaved a deep sigh of relief. Thank God.

"What were you and the Doctor doing?" Paul asked as he let go of Natasha's hand long enough to pull up a chair.

"Healing her. We had to try and get all the venom out. It was not easy," she looked up at him through her eyelashes, trying to tell if he could handle it or not.

"Go on," he urged and she nodded before continuing.

"When Edward changed Bella, he put a shot of venom to her heart to speed up the process. Carlisle got the idea that perhaps a similar shot, except with an antidote, could save someone from being changed. It was risky but it was all we had. When she came in here she had about a 20% chance of walking out of here human." Paul felt his stomach drop.

He hadn't known he had been that close to losing her.

"At first we didn't know if the shot had worked. While we waited, we hooked her up to everything, hoping to have it all under control if and when she returned to her normal state. It took about a half hour before she began to show signs of human life again. It was another half hour before we knew she was out of the danger zone."

"So she's alright now?" he asked and Alice looked up at him.

"Not completely. She's back to normal but she's in a shock-induced coma. Carlisle said she should wake in a couple days but we're not entirely sure." Paul frowned.

"She's in a what?" he asked and Alice rolled her eyes before clarifying.

"A shock-induced coma. The confrontation with Timothy took a toll on her and she's not quite ready to come back to reality. She's shut her body down as a defense. Hopefully she'll realize she's safe and she'll come around soon," she said and Paul nodded, looking at Natasha.

She looked so peaceful, the way she looked when he watched her sleep. The large gauze patch on her neck made him wince. He winced again when he turned to take in her cast.

"What about her leg?" he asked and Alice frowned.

"Broken in six places and a lot of the cartilage was torn. It was a really bad break. Carlisle had a tricky time setting it and it'll take a long time to heal." Paul looked at her with pleading eyes, asking the question he couldn't voice. Alice shook her head slowly.

Natasha wouldn't skate again.

* * *

One hour turned into ten. Ten hours turned into a day. A day turned into two. When Natasha's parents had called, frantic as to where their daughter was, Paul had told them what happened, skipping over the part about Timothy. Then Carlisle had transported her to the hospital, just in time for her parent's arrival.

"Oh my baby!" Mrs. Bascov had wailed as she walked into the room. Paul stood up from the chair he had permanently been occupying and Natasha's mother took his place. Paul walked over to Mr. Bascov, wringing his hands nervously. He couldn't remember the last time he had been nervous about talking to another man before and he didn't like it.

"I'm uh...sorry sir...about what happened. About all of it. I know we should have come to you before we left the competition and I know I shouldn't have let her run through the woods-"

"Paul," her father cut him off and Paul's eyes slowly looked at his. "It's alright," her dad said, clapping his hand on Paul's shoulder. "Sometimes we do stupid things. It's how we learn." Paul sighed. Mr. Bascov was being too forgiving.

"I know sir but it's all my fault. I'll never be able to forgive myself and I completely understand if you never want me to see your daughter again. I won't cause Natasha any more problems." Mr. Bascov was shaking his head and Paul frowned.

"It's alright," he said forcefully. "What you've done may have been stupid but there's nothing we can do about it now." Then he grinned. "Besides, Natasha would kill me if I tried to keep her from you. It scares me how close you two have gotten these past few weeks." Paul nodded, knowing he couldn't keep anything else from her father when he was being so forgiving.

"I love her sir," he said and Mr. Bascov's eyebrows rose. "I love Natasha and I will always do what's best for her. I know a father finds it hard to let his daughter grow up and go out into the world but I want you to know I'll keep an eye on her for you. I'll make sure to watch her when you can't." Mr. Bascov's eyes widened at Paul's bold statement. Then they calmed and he smiled.

"You're a good kid," he said before stepping around Paul and walking over to Natasha. Not wanting to intrude, Paul turned and headed out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief as he did.

Maybe he could grab some food while he waited.

* * *

Natasha still wasn't awake and Paul was starting to go slightly insane. He hadn't left the hospital since Carlisle had brought her in. He was grateful to Doctor Cullen for letting him stay with Natasha 24/7, even though he wasn't technically family. Whenever her parents showed up however, he booked it down to the cafeteria as soon as he could without seeming awkward. He still felt like they should blame him more than they did. Not wanting to give them reason to dislike him though, he had taken the ring off of Natasha's finger before she was taken to the hospital and kept it securely in his pocket. He almost constantly had his hand in his pocket as well, feeling the ring between his fingers as a happy reminder of what was to come when Natasha finally woke up.

After she had been in the hospital for almost two days Chris showed up. He ignored Paul as he carried the bouquet of lilies over to the bedside table. Taking the seat Paul had just occupied, he reached for Natasha's hand and stroked it with his thumb.

"Hey Tash," he said softly as he leaned over to look at her. "I came as soon as I could. I can't believe this all happened to you. If there was anyone who deserved this the least, it was you. I promise as soon as you wake up I'll bring over the trophy we won. It belongs to you more than me."

Paul stood in the doorway watching the whole interaction with folded arms. As Chris went on, telling Natasha how she didn't deserve to be in this situation, he felt increasingly worse. It was his fault she was in here and he wondered if Chris would confront him about that.

He didn't have to wonder for long.

"Hey," Chris said firmly about thirty minutes after he got there. Paul glanced up and saw Chris was addressing him.

"Hey," Paul responded hesitantly. Chris stood up from the chair and walked over, stopping when he was directly in front of Paul.

"You know what you are?" he asked and Paul shook his head. In this kind of situation, he knew it was best to let the other person have their say. "You are a fucking bastard." Paul internally winced. "You're the one who did this to her. She wouldn't even be in here if it weren't for you!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Paul whispered harshly. He beat himself up enough about all this; did Chris have to do it too?

"I don't think you do. She was doing just fine up in Canada with me. We won the competition!" he only paused a second. "We had a shot at the next Olympics!" he nearly cried and that hit Paul like a punch in the gut. The Olympics? He had no idea. Chris seemed to understand his shock. "Yeah, she didn't know it either. I was gonna tell her when I got back from the competition," he said as he looked back at her. "Like hell I'm gonna tell her now."

"I'm sorry," Paul said in the most sincere way possible. He really was. He had never actually apologized to another guy before, excluding Mr. Bascov. Usually he just fought it out and then called it even. He was putting himself out there and it felt uncomfortable. Chris didn't seem to notice though.

"Yeah well you never did think of anyone but yourself," he said and Paul scowled. "Didn't you ever stop to think for you second that maybe Natasha and I were doing just swell for ourselves?"

It all made sense.

"You like her," Paul stated. At Chris' silent response, Paul nodded. "I get it. I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry I took Natasha from you, I'm sorry I made her get hurt, and I'm definitely sorry she won't ever skate again," he paused and took a breath. "But I won't apologize for being in love with her."

"Fuck off," Chris threatened under his breath and Paul shook his head.

"Hell no. I'm here until she says otherwise and since the odds of that happening anytime soon are unlikely, I'll be here for a while."

Chris took a threatening step forward, then another. He continued this way until he was chest to chest with Paul. Paul stood up at his full height, a full six inches taller. Chris however, held his own and continued to glare.

"I hate assholes like you who go and fuck everything up for their own satisfaction," he stated and Paul bared his teeth with a snarl. He sure didn't want to phase here but if Chris didn't lay off it soon he was going to.

"Has she woken up yet?" a chipper voice sounded from the doorway and both guys turned slowly.

In the doorway Kim, Sam, and Emily stood with wide eyes. Paul looked down and realized he had subconsciously taken hold of Chris' collar, pulling him close in a threatening manner.

"What is going on here?" Sam asked, always the voice of authority. Chris yanked his shirt loose from Paul's grasp and turned quickly, shoving past Sam and out into the hall. After watching him leave, Sam turned and raised an eyebrow at Paul. He was clearly waiting for an answer.

"Nothing," Paul said gruffly as he turned and walked back to his seat by Natasha. Sitting down, he leaned over and took her hand in his, hoping Sam would just let it all rest.

He did.

* * *

Four days after she had been in the hospital, a group of about ten guys walked in. Paul lifted his head in surprise, frowning before he realized who they were.

Her dad's hockey team.

After the incident with Chris, Paul was hesitant. What if they reacted the same way? Even worse, what if they all professed they liked her too? He didn't think he could handle that. Luckily, hating him didn't seem to be on the agenda as one of the guys broke from the rest of the group with a smile on his face.

"Hey," he said, stepping forward to shake Paul's hand. "Paul right? I'm Scott," he said as Paul shook his hand. "We came to see Natasha," Paul nodded, gesturing to the bed.

"She still hasn't woken up," he said as they all walked around her. He noticed a couple of them were holding bouquets of flowers and one of them had a bunch of balloons in his hand. Paul smiled. They really were like her brothers.

His smile was immediately taken over by a frown. Jealousy. These guys had been closer to Natasha longer than he had and therefore they probably knew stuff he didn't. He didn't think it was fair. He raised his eyebrows as another one of the guys came over.

"Thanks man, for taking care of her," he said as he stuck out his hand and Paul shook it. "I'm Ralph. Sorry about how we acted when we met you before. We're just a little protective of our girl here. Obviously she's in good hands."

"She is," Paul said, wondering why he felt the need to reassure them. Ralph nodded.

"That's good to hear," he said and Paul released a breath. At least they approved of him.

The guys stayed for thirty minutes before beginning to funnel out. There was only so much ten guys could do in the room of a comatose girl before they grew bored.

"Thanks," Scott repeated as he shook Paul's hand again.

"Anytime. I really care about Natasha and I'll take care of her with every piece of my body," he said and Scott nodded, frowning.

"Good. We may all like you but if we find out you've done anything else to hurt her, you'll be sorry." Paul frowned. Anything else? Scott nodded at Paul's questioning face. "We know about the fight you had a little while back. She was crushed. Do something like that again and I can guarantee you'll have us to deal with." With that final word, Scott turned and walked out of the room, the last one to leave.

Fight? Paul was confused. Unless they meant the episode when he and Natasha hadn't talked for five days because of his...revelation. That had to be it.

"Paul," a soft, feminine voice whispered. Paul's head shot to the side so fast he heard his neck crack.

Natasha was still laying lifelessly, the monitors still beeping calmly. Frowning, he went into the hallway to look for Carlisle. He found him talking to a nurse, clipboard in hand.

"Carlisle," he said as he walked over. Carlisle turned to the nurse and handed the clipboard back.

"I'd up the dose to twice a day and then tell me how that works," he said and the nurse nodded before walking away. Carlisle turned to Paul with a raised eyebrow.

"Natasha just spoke. She said my name," he said and Carlisle frowned before starting a brisk walk in the direction of Natasha's room.

"Sometimes this happens. It may be that she's beginning to wake up. Again, I can't guarantee anything but I'll check her out."

In the room, Carlisle leaned over Natasha, checking her eyes with his small flashlight. He checked her pulse and read a couple things on the computer monitor before turning to Paul.

"She's starting to show signs of returning to us. I'd give it a couple hours. Let me know if anything changes," he said before turning and walking out. Paul smiled as he sat down next to Natasha and picked up her hand in his.

A couple hours.

* * *

_Well? I'm sure a lot of you are breathing sighs of relief right now. Personally, I hate stories where the imprint turns into a vampire. Lame! But it was fun reading all your reviews telling me you hoped she wouldn't be one. Glad it wasn't too obvious how it would turn out!_

_So yeah, review and let me know how you feel about Natasha staying human!!!!_


	26. Chapter 25

_Well her ya go! Finally we hear from Natasha's pov! Thanks for all the well wishes! I'm still super sick (I think I have a stomach virus ON TOP of the cold. Ugh!) but I wanted to get this posted! There's only one chapter after this, then the epilogue! I know, I know, it's winding down. That just means you have to enjoy what's left haha_

_**BooBoo33**- You're welcome!! And thanks!!!!! I agree with you 100%. Turning imprints into vamps is kinda lame in my opinion._

_**NewTwilightEclipse**- I'm glad you still love my story! I had tossed around the idea of having Chris like her but when it came down to it, I looked back and realized I had subconsciously done it already haha. I'm also glad you like the way the team and her dad acted. My dad would have probably killed me as well but I tried to make Natasha's parents a little more obvious and understanding of the feelings Natasha and Paul have for each other. Besides, they have enough against them without including her parents too._

_**taybaybay**- Yeah, Paul would have to kill her haha. So many writers forget that little part when they do their own stories that way. Oh well. Thanks for the get well wishes!_

_**laurazuleta18**- Yeah, the skating thing sucks, but I had that planned from the beginning. You'll have to keep reading, but I think I've handled it well haha. And I'm still fighting my cold, although it's gotten better!_

_**spannieren**- I'm glad you would have kept reading, but I also think there's something iffy with vampire-werewolf relationships. I know, I did that on purpose lol. Chris is more like someone you'd run into in real life. A lot of movies etc would make Chris' character turn mean so there's an obvious flaw to make the heroine turn against him. In real like, that doesn't always happen and I wanted to portray that._

_**random miss saranda clearwater**- haha you're welcome! Yeah, they sometimes seem to be tooooo much to add to a story. 'Oh, you don't think my story has enough in it already? How about I turn my main girl into a vampire on top of that!?' haha_

_**ilovejakethemost**- Yeah, can't have it both ways! At least she still has her life lol. I hope this update is soon enough lol._

_**Skyler1510**- You'll have to tell me how you feel about Chris after the story's over. He's not done yet! It was hard to write how Natasha takes it, so you'll have to tell me what you think._

_**GreenEyes555**- I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and agree with my decision. Yeah, I think it is sad to have something so important taken away, but I've got it handled (I think) so you'll have to tell me what you think!_

_**danie568**- Yeah, I know. It just had to be done though. Plus, she's got Paul to take care of her!_

_**ladeyjezzabella**- Yeah, I think that even when she's out of it, Natasha has such an attachment to Paul, his would be the first name she says._

_**CourageToStandAlone**- you're welcome you're welcome you're welcome you're welcome you're welcome you're welcome…and you're welcome!!!!!! I thank you, my loyal reader, for giving me such a nice review! And thanks for the feel better wishes! I'm getting there!!!!_

_**jblc77**- I have just a couple chapters left but personally I think they round things off nicely. I don't really want to drag the story on because then it'll just get boring. Let me know what you think when it's done!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Haha well thank you for the kiss, whether it's odd or not haha. I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for your faithful reviewing!_

_**honey**- Don't worry, Natasha loves Paul too much to ever hate him! And I'm glad you think it's GREAT!!!!_

_**twilightgal4life**- Yes I agree, it would have been very awkward. Thanks for the review!_

_**runningto-MEMORYLANE**- I'm glad you think it's a fantastic story! Thanks for the review!!!!_

_**jamazing**- Your mentality seems to be the general consensus. Lots of people seem to be happy with my decision to keep Natasha human haha._

_**rehme**- You're welcome. It would have ruined the story for me as well, so of course I HAD to make sure that didn't happen!! Haha. I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Thanks for the review!!!_

_**TeamJacob13**- YAY! And gosh, here's an update lol_

_**StealthLiberal**- Wow, thank you SOOO much for this amazing review!!! I seriously can't think of anything to say other than thank you. Your review (yet again) brightened my semi-dull day. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Also, on another note: in your last review you thanked me for including Leah. I know I don't include her nearly as much as I should but there's a reasoning behind that. The guys don't like her, that was made obvious in the books. Because most of this story is just Paul and Natasha hanging out, and occasionally hanging with the guys, the Paul I've created wouldn't invite Leah to hang with them. I know it's not fair but it's done with reasoning in mind. I felt that Leah was in the story too little, but when I tried to force her into scenes, it didn't seem right. The same could be said about Collin and Brady. They're younger members of the pack and just don't seem to fit as friendly with the rest. Hope that clears things up and thanks AGAIN for the awesome reviews!!!!!!!_

* * *

Natasha:

Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A throbbing pain in my head. I groaned as my eyes felt the lights shining through my eyelids. Too bright; they were too bright.

Slowly opening my eyes, I fluttered them a couple times before adjusting them to the light.

A constant beeping noise made me frown. I tried to twist my body to see what the source of the sound was but I was stopped by a bunch of wires and tubes. I traced them with my eyes and found they were all attached to me. My frown deepened.

Where was I?

Like a rock it all came tumbling back to me.

Timothy.

My ankle.

Vampire.

Bite.

Pain.

Paul.

Paul. I gasped as I tried frantically to move from the position I was in. Where was Paul? Was he alright? Was I alright? The last thing I remembered was Timothy sinking his teeth into my neck. Then I remembered nothing but pain. Sharp, excruciating pain that I had prayed would end.

Ouch, headache.

As I tried to lift my hand to press it to my forehead, I found it held down by a weight. Able to glance down, I realized it was held down by another hand. I groaned as I tried to pull it lose. The movement made the other hand move and soon I heard a yawn.

"Natasha?" a male voice said softly and I smiled. Paul. "Natasha!?" he asked more frantically and his beautiful face appeared in my vision. I smiled wider as I felt tears begin to fill my eyes. "Thank God you're awake!" he said as he pulled me into a soft hug.

"Where am I?" I asked as I tried to look around. My muscles were beginning to cooperate and I was able to see the machines that surrounded me. They were probably the source of the beeping noise.

"The hospital. Carlisle Cullen brought you in after he was able to save you. Your parents have been in to visit a few times. I'm supposed to call them if you wake up. Oh! And Carlisle, I'm supposed to get Carlisle," he leaned over me and pressed a button above my head.

"How long have I been in here?" I asked as he sat back down next to me.

"Almost five days. I was beginning to worry you wouldn't wake up," he told me solemnly and I frowned.

"What happened to Timothy? Is everyone alright? I'll feel awful if anyone's hurt because of me..." Paul shook his head, cutting me off.

"Everyone's fine. You're the only one who was injured. Jacob and I took out Timothy right after he bit you," he glanced down at my neck before leaning in to nuzzle it. "I was so worried I'd lost you," he whispered in my ear as footsteps sounded.

"Ah Natasha! So glad to see you're awake," a silky voice said and I looked around Paul to lock eyes with an extremely attractive, pale man.

"Natasha, this is Carlisle Cullen. He saved your life," Paul told me and I blushed.

"Thank you," I said softly and he nodded with a smile.

"It's my job. Besides, I think Paul would have strangled me if I hadn't," he looked at Paul with a smirk. "I don't fancy fighting a wolf unless I have to," he said and I frowned, looking at Paul quickly. How did this doctor know? Paul smiled at my confused look.

"Carlisle's a vampire," he explained and my eyes widened. I turned and took Carlisle in with a whole new perspective, my hand flying up to cover the gauze where my bite was. Carlisle laughed.

"No, I'm a good guy. A vegetarian," he explained as he walked over to check the monitors of the machines.

"Carlisle and his family don't drink human blood remember?" Paul asked me and I nodded as the conversation about it slowly came back to me. "It's because of Carlisle that you're alive," he reminded me and I smiled, squeezing Paul's hand.

"So Natasha, how are you feeling?" Carlisle asked as he walked over to examine me. "Any dizziness, headaches, light headedness? Any pain?" I shook my head, then stopped when the throbbing came back.

"Headache," I said and he nodded.

"That'll probably last for a little while. Your body's not used to being awake yet," he told me and I nodded, shifting my stiff body. When my one leg didn't move, I frowned.

"Is there something wrong with my leg?" I asked and both men locked eyes. "What?" I asked as I felt the color drain from my face. That look didn't mean anything good.

"Natasha," Carlisle started as he walked over to take hold of my other hand. "I have some bad news..."

* * *

Dead. I might as well be dead. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. This only happened to other people. Not me. Not Natasha Marie Bascov.

"No, you'll never skate again."

That phrase echoed in my head in repeat. I had heard it from Carlisle Cullen four days ago but it was still as fresh in my mind as if he had said it yesterday. Since then I had done nothing except sit in my hospital bed and brood. I hadn't eaten anything, I hadn't drunken anything, I hadn't talked to anybody.

Paul constantly stayed by my side, holding my hand and watching me with worried eyes. I knew he blamed himself for all of this but I wasn't ready to put him at ease yet. I needed to accept all of this first before I could break free and do anything else.

Not that I blamed him. On the contrary, I knew if it hadn't been for him I probably wouldn't even be alive now. I accepted all that had happened as a twist of fate that just occurred. No one was to blame but it sure sucked.

As soon as Carlisle had sat down to discuss my medical information with me, Paul stepped out to call my parents. It must have been a short conversation because he was already back in the room and holding my hand when Carlisle had delivered the horrible answer to my question.

"No, you'll never skate again."

The tears had welled up in my eyes but refused to fall. That's how my parents found me when they rushed into the room twenty minutes later. Paul gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving, giving me time with my family.

Carlisle had told everything to my parents and my mother held me tightly, crying for me as the tears continued to stubbornly stay in place. We had stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon, lying in my bed as she held me like she had when I was little.

When they left for the night, Paul had crept back in and climbed onto the bed with me, taking my mom's place. As he pulled me into his arms and nestled my head into the crook of his neck, the bottled up tears came.

As I cried, Paul took my hand and carefully slipped something on my finger. I looked down and smiled softly.

My ring.

In all the hubbub I hadn't even realized it wasn't on my finger anymore.

"I love you," Paul whispered in my ear and I nodded as I felt the tears come again.

"No, you'll never skate again."

Since then I hadn't spoken. Not to Paul, not to Mom, not to anyone. I knew they were all worried but I wasn't ready to accept it yet. It was better to escape into my dream world where I could still skate.

So here I sat, four days after waking up, silent as the tomb as I stared off into space, not taking anything in. Beside me, Paul heaved a sigh before standing up and leaning over to kiss my forehead.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he asked me but I continued to stare, not looking at him. He sighed again before squeezing my hand and turning to walk out of the room.

The minutes ticked by and soon Paul walked back in the room, followed by Carlisle and a woman. Paul took his usual seat and took a hold of my hand again. It was such a common position for us now that if he wasn't holding my hand, it felt awkward.

"Hello Natasha," Carlisle said cheerfully as he checked the clipboard by my bed. "How are you feeling today?" I ignored him and looked out the window. It was raining today, something that wasn't unusual for this time of year. I let out a soft sigh and Paul's grip tightened. "Natasha, I've brought someone I'd like you to meet," Carlisle said and I willed myself to look as he motioned to the woman.

"Hi Natasha, I'm Dr. Ryan," she said with a smile. Her face was warm and inviting. Even her clothes, a soft navy skirt and a pale blue sweater, gave off nice vibes. Any other day I know I'd feel comfortable with her. Today, I wondered what she was doing in my room. I didn't need more visitors, especially ones I didn't know.

"Dr. Ryan is a psychiatrist here at the hospital," Carlisle explained and I looked at him. They thought I needed medical help.

"Natasha I'd really like to sit down and talk with you if you don't mind," she told me and I sighed again. Paul squeezed my hand and leaned close to me.

"Baby please? I'm worried about you. Do it for me?" he pleaded and I rolled my head to look at him. His face looked so pitiful that I gave a small nod.

I'd do it for Paul.

"Excellent. Paul, why don't you come down to the cafeteria with me? We can grab some lunch," Carlisle offered and Paul kissed my head before standing up and following the doctor out. I silently pleaded to Paul to stay with me. My hand felt empty with him gone and I didn't want to think of how it would feel if he completely left the room. He didn't notice my silent request though, and followed Carlisle out, leaving me alone with Dr. Ryan.

For the next hour I sat with Dr. Ryan. She did most of the talking, telling me how she could help me cope if I would just open up and talk to her. She told me a bunch of statements about how it wasn't my fault and I had just been dealt a new hand of cards. She also told me she knew I was strong enough to overcome this and do something good from it. As I listened mutely, I took in everything she was saying. She was right, I needed to open up because none of this was my fault and I needed to understand that.

Right when she was standing up to leave, I burst into tears. Everything that had been building up in my mind for the past four days came pouring out as I told her everything. How I didn't know how to live without skating. How Paul was becoming more important to me than skating was. How I was worried people would look at me with sympathy for the rest of my life. How I'd never be able to skate again. How I was just now realizing how important skating meant to me. All of it scared the shit out of me and I told her everything.

With a kind smile, she sat back down and the two of us talked, just to each other. She didn't take notes and for that I was grateful. I wanted someone to listen, not someone to diagnose me. I found it weird that I could open up to her before opening up to Paul. However, when I thought about it I realized it made perfect sense. She was a completely unrelated third party and didn't know anything about me. It's weird, but sometimes people seem to find it easier to talk to strangers than the ones they're close with. I always thought that was funny but in this situation I fully understood the reasoning.

After another hour Paul walked back in. When he saw us in mid-conversation, he turned to walk back out but Dr. Ryan caught him.

"You can come in Paul," she said as she stood up. "I need to be going anyway." She turned to me with a smile. "I'll come back tomorrow if you want and we can talk some more," she told me and I nodded.

"I'd like that," I said before she turned and walked out. Paul took his usual seat and this time I turned to acknowledge him. He smiled sweetly and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked and I found myself smiling back.

"Better," I said and he broke out into a grin. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly, never wanting to let go. "I'm sorry for how I've acted. I shouldn't be giving you the cold shoulder when you've been by my side through everything," I told him and he shook his head, frowning.

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I'm just glad to have you talking again. I missed your voice." I smiled and patted a finger to my lips. He smirked and leaned over to plant a kiss on me.

"Regardless, I'm still sorry," I told him after he'd sat back down. He rolled his eyes and I smiled.

"I'm just surprised you started talking after only two hours. I never thought I'd hear your voice again," he told me honestly and I shrugged.

"I guess I just needed to be prodded," I explained and his forehead wrinkled.

"I prodded," he said softly, defensively and I smiled and reached out to stroke his cheek.

"And I love you for it," I told him, making him smile.

"I love you," he told me as he leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

I only had to stay in the hospital for two more days before Carlisle deemed me able to leave. I'm almost positive I could have left sooner but I think Paul was twisting Carlisle's arm to make sure I was 100% healed. I didn't mind though. I found the hospital completely comforting, especially with Paul there.

I also enjoyed it because every day Dr. Ryan came to visit me. As soon as she showed up, Paul would casually walk out and leave us to talk for an hour. I opened up to her about everything, even telling her how much I was in love with Paul. I almost told her about our engagement but I held myself back. Other people (such as my parents) deserved to know first. Paul had taken the ring off of my finger again, just in case my parents had noticed it and questioned me about it. For now, he kept it safe in his pocket. Without it, my finger felt cold and empty. I couldn't wait until it could take its place on my finger again.

Most of the time spent in our meetings, I was talking and Dr. Ryan was listening. It was nice to pour things out to a stranger and have them not judge me. Occasionally she took notes but for the most part she just listened. I think she realized I needed someone to just listen to me, and I was grateful.

On the day I was set to leave, Dr. Ryan showed up with a small bottle of pills. Antidepressants. She instructed both Paul and I that if I began to sink into a depression like I had been in before I met with her, I was to take the prescribed amount and call her if it lasted for more than a week.

Glancing up at Paul I smiled when I saw how concerned he was. He stood there with his hands on his hips, listening to every little thing Dr. Ryan said while scowling and nodding his head. I knew right then and there that I wouldn't use one of those pills. I had Paul; he was my antidepressant. I only wish I'd realized that sooner.

My mom was able to get work off so she came to check me out. Paul insisted on wheeling me to the car in a wheelchair but I'm pretty sure it was just so he could ride on the back of it when no one was looking. He and my mom helped me into the car, careful of the large cast that encased my broken foot. I already hated it but I knew I was biased. Paul had done me the honor of signing it with a dark blue sharpie.

'I love you, despite your clunky cast'

There was something else written in Quileute but he wouldn't tell me what it said. I planned on torturing it out of him when I was able to move around and hold my own.

The drive home was oddly pleasant. From the way my mom and Paul were chatting away, I had a feeling a lot of bonding went on while I was out of it. I was glad. I couldn't stand it if my parents and Paul disliked each other. I had been worried at first that they would hold a grudge against Paul for what had happened. Thank God I was wrong.

It took about ten minutes to get me from the car into the house and to the couch. Once I was settled, lying on my side in front of the TV, my mom took off to the kitchen to grab me something to eat. Paul plopped down next to me and lifted my legs carefully to place them on his lap. He took the remote and began flipping through the channels.

"Glad you're home?" he asked and I chuckled.

"Of course I am. I was getting sick of that hospital. The company was horrible," I teased and he sighed, shoving my arm playfully. "Just kidding. So, are you planning to just cuddle with me all day until I get better or do you have other plans?" I asked and he looked at me sympathetically.

"Well, I have to do patrols every night," he explained before leaning closer to me. "If you leave your window open, I'll sneak in every night when I'm done," he whispered and my sad frown was replaced with a smile and blush. "I take that as a yes," he said and I laughed and nodded.

"Yes please," I said before he leaned in and kissed me.

"Ugh, can we leave the making out to a minimum when there are other people in the room?" came a guy's voice and I turned to see Scott and Ralph standing by the doorway.

"Hey guys!" I said excitedly as I tried to stand up. I frowned when Paul held me down however. Why wouldn't he let me go see them? A nod toward my leg reminded me and I blushed.

"We'll come to you," Ralph said with a smirk as he and Scott walked over.

"We were driving by on the way to practice and thought we'd stop to check on you," Scott said with a glance at Paul. "Obviously that wasn't needed," he added with a nod in Paul's direction. Paul nodded back and then Ralph gave a nod as well.

Guys confused me.

"How are you feeling?" Ralph asked as all attention turned back to me. I smiled and sat up straighter on the couch, trying to look as un-miserable as possible. I think I failed, but they guys didn't seem to notice. At least, they acted like they didn't notice.

"I'm fine; glad to be home," I told them and they smiled. "Oh! I really liked the flowers and balloons. Thank you guys so much," I remembered to thank them. They both blushed.

"It was nothing. We were just worried about our girl," Ralph said as he leaned over and ruffled my hair affectionately. I smiled. They were really sweet guys.

"But, now that we know you're in good hands, we're gonna head to practice," Scott cut in. "We'll see you both later. Paul." With one last nod from all three of them, Scott and Ralph walked back out the door. I turned to Paul with a frown.

"That was super weird," I said with a giggle and he shrugged. He didn't seem as shocked by the whole exchange as I was.

"They really care about you," he told me and I felt my forehead crease slightly.

"Did they say something to you?" I asked, suddenly worried. What all had gone on while I was out cold?

"Not really. Scott just kinda let me know that they approved of us together, but if I did anything to hurt you again, I'd have to answer to them." I dropped my face into my hands, feeling a blush coming on.

"Oh my God," I moaned. I couldn't believe they'd said that. How embarrassing! Paul pulled my hands away and lifted my chin up so our eyes locked.

"Hey, listen. They care a lot about you and I understand. If I was in their positions, I'd be worried about you too. And if I do anything to hurt you again, I deserve to have to answer to them." I shook my head and took his hands in mine.

"No, you don't deserve to answer to anyone," I told him and he smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"Come on, let's watch a juicy soap opera and laugh at the horrible acting."

* * *

Paul stayed until his patrol at eight. At four in the morning he climbed quietly through my window and nestled into the bed with me. I didn't even hear him come in, but I did feel the warmth from his body as he took me into his arms.

"Paul?" I whispered groggily and he shifted next to me, pulling me tighter.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he told me as he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. I closed my eyes and smiled, nestling into his chest.

"What does it say on my cast?" I asked him.

"You read it already," he said softly but I shook my head.

"No, the part in Quileute. What does that say?"

He was silent a long time and I continued to lie next to him, taking his hand in both of mine and stroking it. Finally he seemed to decide he wanted to tell me. Pulling me as close as he possibly could, he leaned his head down until I could feel his lips on my ear.

"You are my one and only, and I would go to the moon and stars to keep you safe," he whispered and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"It says all of that?" I asked as I tried to remember what the writing had looked like. I knew it wasn't that long. He gave a soft chuckle.

"No, but it says the beginning of it. My mother used to say that to me every night before bed. She'd kneel down to tuck me in and then whisper it to me in Quileute. It always made me feel safe when I heard her say it, and I want you to feel safe every time you read it," he said. I smiled, closing my eyes again as I planted a kiss on his lips.

At that moment, despite everything that had happened in the past week, I was content.

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_Yes? No? Let me know what you think! Review!!!!!! I know it seems kinda rushed, but honestly there's not much you can write about a girl lying in a hospital bed, not talking to anyone for four days lol. Things are starting to wind down here...give me a review!! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll stop being sick!!! (haha oh I wish that were true!)_


	27. Chapter 26

_Hey guys! Review responses at the END of this chapter. Enjoy this *sniff* last *sniff* chapter... :(_

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NATASHA:

After a week of resting my foot, I was able to start walking around on crutches. A month later I was able to walk around in just a boot. I started physical therapy and so every day I spent two hours at the clinic, working with my physical therapist. His name was Roger Menphis and he was an adorable older man, at least thirty-five. I think Paul was jealous of him, so a lot of my therapy sessions were spent with him sulking in the corner.

I refused to have anything to do with skating. My mom took away all of my costumes, skates, warm ups, practice leos, medals, ribbons and trophies. I'm pretty sure she hid them in her closet, but I didn't want to go looking for them.

I also hadn't talked to Chris at all. I'm sure he was pissed with me, and I wasn't about to face him before I was ready. Paul mentioned that Chris had visited, but he didn't go into details.

So when Chris called and asked if he could come over, I agreed somewhat nervously. It was over a month after the accident and I felt extremely guilty. I had ditched him in Vancouver and had ruined both of our careers. It would be hard, if not impossible, for him to find another partner as good as I was. I'm not being cocky, I'm being honest. It had taken us two years to get used to each other and skate well together. Now he would have to spend two years or so training with someone new.

It was all my fault.

I kicked Paul out of the house about ten minutes before Chris was supposed to show up. I didn't want there to be more tension than necessary and I knew Paul would probably cause some.

"Baby," he whined as I limpingly pushed him toward the door.

"Please Paul, for me?" I asked, pouting my lips and batting my eyelashes. He sighed and grinned in annoyance. I smirked because I knew he wasn't as mad as he wished he was.

"Fine. But only for a half hour, then I'm back here. I hate leaving you more than I have to," he explained as he kissed me on the top of the head before opening the door.

Chris stood there with his fist raised, ready to knock. When he saw us, he paused and slowly lowered his arm, throwing Paul an evil frown.

"Hey," I said cautiously as I regarded the exchange between the two. In response to Chris' frown, Paul stood up a little taller and squeezed me closer before kissing me again, this time on the lips. Then he let me go, nodded in Chris' direction, and walked out the door and to his truck. I was a little peeved that he didn't even say bye to me, but I knew he'd be back soon enough.

"Hey," Chris finally said after we'd both watched Paul drive away. He walked past me and into the house, waiting for me to shut the door behind us. "How's the foot?" he asked as he walked and I hobbled into the kitchen. I shrugged.

"It's okay. I'm getting sick of this stupid boot though. I'm also getting sick of this house. I can't wait to get out and go some place besides the clinic," I told him as I poured us both a glass of water. "So what's up?" I asked as I handed him his glass and then sat down across from him at the table. He was the one who asked to come over so if he wanted to talk about something, I'd let him.

"I just wanted to see how you were. It's been over a month since I've seen you. Hell, it's been over a month since I've talked to you," he stated and I nodded.

"I know. How's training?" I asked, dreading the answer. Almost immediately I wished I could take my question back. He gave me a pained look before taking a gulp of his water.

"It's alright. Andre's just got me practicing singles moves for now. Just until I find..." he trailed off but the end of the sentence hung awkwardly in the air. Until he found another partner. I nodded sadly, trying to make him feel better about it all.

"That sounds like fun," I said awkwardly before a dead silence filled the air. We sat there for about five minutes, just looking around the room; looking anywhere but at each other. Immediately I wished I had listened to Paul and hadn't let Chris come over. This was getting extremely awkward.

Chris surprised me suddenly by slamming his water glass down hard on the table, making me jump.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" he practically shouted at me and I winced, wishing we could go back to the awkward silence. "You just disappear from the competition without a single word to me and then wind up in La Push with a broken foot?" I shrugged cautiously.

"I'm sorry. If I could take it all back I would. It's all my fault and I-"

"No, it's not all your fault," he cut me off. I frowned; I knew where this was going. "It's his!" he shouted, motioning to the front of the house where we had last seen Paul.

"Don't bring him into this," I said quickly. "Without Paul I'd probably be dead or worse right now." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry this all happened, and I'm sorry I ruined our career for us, but I'm not sorry for loving him. I love Paul, and I plan on loving him for awhile. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but that's the way it's going to be."

"You're right, it does upset me. After all this, after all you and I have been through, you're just gonna walk out on what we have for him?" I frowned. What the heck was he talking about?

"Chris I didn't choose to give up skating, and I would definitely never give it up for Paul. You're right, we made an amazing team; we worked well together. It sucks that it's over now, and I wish more than anything that it wasn't," I stopped to sigh as I felt my face begin to get heavy with threatening tears. "But it is. What we had was great, but now we need to move on. You need to move on," I forced a smile to try and make him feel better. "Go to a few competitions to scope out a new partner. I know there's one out there for you somewhere."

I didn't make him feel better.

"You don't even get what I mean," he said softly, causing me to frown.

"Huh?" I asked but he shook his head, looking down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at me, his face set cold and emotionless.

"Goodbye Natasha," he said in a very final sort of way. Then he turned and walked past me, heading to the front of the house.

"Wait, Chris!" I shouted but he ignored me. I tried to hobble after him but my boot got caught on the corner of the wall and I wound up face down on the floor.

The most painful part about my fall wasn't that I injured myself more; besides a little twing up my leg, I felt fine. No, the most painful part was that after lying still for five minutes, I realized Chris wasn't coming. He wasn't about to walk around the corner and help me up. He wasn't going to exclaim 'oh my God are you alright?' and check my leg for any more injuries. No, he was gone and I was all alone.

I refused to move from where I was sprawled, instead opting to lay there and wallow in self pity.

My conversation with Chris confused me. I know he was very upset about losing me as a partner, but why would he accuse me of walking out on our skating for Paul? Our skating may be over but our friendship sure wasn't. Or at least, it hadn't been until just now.

"Natasha?" the sound of Paul's voice brought me back from my confusion.

"In here!" I called as I finally attempted to pull myself up. Paul walked around the corner and, upon seeing me on the floor, ran to my side to help me up.

"What the hell happened? Where's Chris?" he asked as he picked me up in a basket hold and carried me over to the couch.

"He left. He stormed out of here and I tried to run after him but I tripped over this stupid thing and fell," I said, indicating my boot. Paul sighed as he set me gently down on the couch and then sat down next to me.

"So how was Chris?" he asked in a tight voice. I sighed.

"I don't know. First it was all fine, then he flips out on me about you. He accused me of picking you over skating!" I exclaimed, turning to Paul with a confused look. "Why would he say that?" Paul shrugged.

"How did he phrase it?" he asked and I wrinkled my forehead in thought.

"He said something about after all he and I have been through, how can I just walk out on what we have for you...or something." Paul sighed. "What? What does he mean?" I asked. The way Paul was acting, I had a feeling he knew more about Chris' words than I did. I was proven right when he turned to me and took my hands in his.

"He wasn't talking about the skating," he told me slowly and I frowned. "You know how I told you Chris came to visit you in the hospital?" I nodded. Maybe now I would finally hear what happened between Paul and Chris that day. "He likes you." He said it so easily and quickly, I had to take a second to register what he said.

"What?" I asked, still not sure I had heard him right. Chris like me? Never in a million years. We were skating partners, that was it. There was no way he could like me like that.

"Chris likes you. I don't know how long he has, but he definitely does. He's mad because he thinks that I took you from him not just in the skating sense, but in the romantic sense as well." I scoffed.

"But that's ridiculous! He knows we were never more than partners," I said and Paul shrugged.

"I can understand him," he said and I looked at him in confusion. "You're beautiful, funny, nice, easy to talk to, graceful, a good skater...I can go on," he said with a grin and I blushed. "I had always assumed he liked you more than a friend but when I called him out on it at the hospital and he didn't deny it, I knew for sure."

"What exactly happened at the hospital?" I asked. I really needed to know. These were two of my closest guy friends we were talking about. I wanted us all to get along.

"Basically he called me a bunch of names and accused me of being the reason you were injured. I told him I knew that, but he kept pushing it, trying to make me feel more guilty. It just clicked in my head and I asked him if he liked you. When he didn't deny it, I apologized. I said I was sorry for everything, but I wasn't sorry for being in love with you." I laughed. "What?" he asked and I smiled.

"When he yelled at me today, I apologized for everything too, but I said I wouldn't say sorry for loving you." Paul grinned from ear to ear and pulled me in for a hug and a passionate kiss.

"I love you," he told me when he broke apart a few minutes later. I smiled.

"I know," I said in a teasing tone and he grinned before pulling me back to him.

* * *

I didn't hear from Chris after that. I knew his goodbye had been pretty final but the fact that I was right made it even harder. He had been such a constant in my life these past years, it was weird not to have him around.

Paul didn't mind as much. He felt bad because I was taking it so badly but I knew he was secretly happy Chris was out of my life.

And I didn't blame him.

My foot continued to heal and my physical therapy continued to help make it stronger. I got more used to the boot and didn't thump as awkwardly around anymore. This was a blessing, as my family had taken to calling me "peg-leg" because of the "step thump, step thump" noise I made when I walked.

Finally, after being cooped up in the house for two months, Paul convinced my parents to let me go to his house to see everybody. He insisted on carrying me out to the truck and loading me carefully inside.

"Careful," he said. "Watch your head."

I had to admit, while I loved being taken care of by him, I really wished I could just be able to do things on my own. It was getting old.

The drive was a quietly peaceful one. I spent most of it looking out the windows, taking in everything I had missed in the past two months. The sun was shining, and I closed my eyes and let the rays beam down on me. It felt so wonderful. Paul sat in the driver's seat, his hand reaching across the console to hold my own. Occasionally I'd catch him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. When he realized he'd been caught, he'd just grin and give my hand a tight squeeze.

After parking his truck, Paul ran around to my side and attempted to pick me up.

"No, I want to do it," I said firmly as I slowly lowered myself onto the ground. He was at my side the whole time, his arms at the ready in case I fell. It was slow going, but soon I found myself climbing up his front steps.

Once inside, I was greeted by a large crowd of people. Emily and Kim had taken to preparing a feast, laying it out on Paul's table. The boys had put streamers up around the house, making everything seem festive. I tried to ignore the fact that some of the streamers were already falling down and a few of them looked as if they'd been tossed up at the last minute. I wouldn't expect anything less from the guys.

Claire was sitting on Quil's lap, eagerly eying the pretty cake that was in the center of the table. It had white frosting and red, cursive writing spelled out 'Congratulations Natasha!'

"What's all this?" I asked as I looked from Paul to everyone else. Emily walked forward and pulled me into a big hug, only slightly prohibited by her even bigger stomach. The baby had to be coming soon right?

"A party, to celebrate your gold medal win," she told me and I smiled as Kim came forward and hugged me as well. As we hugged, I could feel the beginnings of her own baby bump.

"And to accept you into our family," she added and immediately I felt my eyes well up with tears. Paul wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to him as happy tears began to fall down my cheeks.

"This is seriously the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. You guys don't know how much this means to me," I said through my tears as everyone smiled at me, the guys kind of awkwardly.

"Let's eat!" Jacob suddenly said and soon everyone was grabbing plates and piling food on top of them. I went to walk forward to join them but a tug on my hand caused me to turn and look at Paul.

"C'mon," he said with a simple nod in the direction of his bedroom. I gave him a frown, a look which clearly said 'you have guests and you want to do this now?' He must have understood what my look meant because he shook his head seriously and nodded to his bedroom again. Sighing, I nodde \d my head and we quietly detached ourselves from the group, disappearing into his room and shutting the door behind us.

When the door was shut, Paul pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"What is-" I started but he cut me off with a shush.

"I just want to enjoy this," he told me as he wrapped his arms tighter, pulling me as close to him as possible. Together we stood like that for a good fifteen minutes, just taking joy in the closeness of each other.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, we heard someone knock on the door.

"Paul? Natasha?" came Emily's soft voice.

"We'll be out in a minute," Paul called to her and we listened as her footsteps walked back to the kitchen. Then Paul pulled me away and looked into my eyes.

"You're perfect, you know that?" he asked me and I smiled embarrassedly, blushing as well. "No really, you are. All of them out there, they all adore you, and all of me in here," he pointed to his chest before pulling me close again. "I love you. I love you with every piece of my body and I always will."

"Forever," I said gently as I pulled back to kiss him softly on the lips. He smiled.

"Forever," he repeated before leaning in again to brush my lips with his own.

THE END

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_well this is sure bittersweet. Of course, there's still the epilogue to look forward to...but then it's done :(_

_**laurazuleta18**- Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and glad you think Paul is cute! Sorry you didn't get to see them announce their engagement…I just didn't want to drag out the story too long, but right away seemed too soon._

_**TeamJacob13**- Thanks, I'm glad you love this story. I'm also glad I could make you so happy with my updates haha. Only one more L_

_**NewTwilightEclipse**- I'm glad you think it was amazing. I always feel everything I write is rushed haha. I hope you didn't get in trouble for sneaking on to read my update!!!!!_

_**twilightgal4life**- Thanks for the review!_

_**honey**- Paul is sweet isn't he??? Awwww lol. Sorry they didn't announce their engagement, it would have been too soon._

_**Skyler1510**- I edited the part of Paul telling her what he put on his cast a lot so I'm glad you think it turned out well. Thanks for reviewing._

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- I think we all have to find a werewolf like Paul haha. Glad you thought it was adorable and thank you for the faithful review!!! Only one more L_

_**spannieren**- The writing on the cast was edited A LOT so I'm glad you thought it was good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_**yellow unicorn**- I'm glad you've been reading since WAAAAY back then haha. And I'm glad you finally reviewed! One more chapter so you better review that one too!!!_

_**GreenEyes555**- Natasha's not gonna skate again…although I think you might enjoy what she does in the epilogue…_

_**StealthLiberal**- I'm feeling much better, thanks. Yeah, I knew she had to talk to a therapist but since I've never actually been in a session, it was really hard to write that so I'm glad you thought it was good. I think Paul grew a lot in this chapter without me intending for him to. Of course, when faced with this kind of situation, I think everyone involved tends to grow a little so that's what I tried to portray. Don't worry, Natasha was never meant to be a housewife. And I'm glad you thought Leah seemed real. I didn't think you were upset, I just thought I'd clarify to you (and anyone who read my comment) why I didn't have her in as much._

_**American History Lover2009**- Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it!!!!_

_**yeshhh**- Glad you love my story lol. Yeah, it sucks that she can't skate again, but in a twisted way she needed this to happen. You'll see what happens in the epilogue, then tell me what you think!_

_**ilovejakethemost**- I've been tossing around the idea of a sequel…the only problem is that I don't have a solid plot idea, just who would be in it. I need to come up with a good, solid idea before I just start writing, otherwise it won't be nearly as good as it should be. Thanks for the well wishes, I'm feeling much better now!_


	28. Epilogue

_Well, here it is. The real end. I must say, this is super bitter sweet for me. I've been sitting here, whining to my roommate for the past 20 minutes about how sad it is for me to post this up here. It means it's really, truly over. I even debated not posting for like, a while, just to keep it open. But then I realized that was selfish and childish lol. So here it is, the ending to my first finished story and first posted story. You guys have all been super great to me, I feel spoiled lol._

_Special author's note at the bottom for **EVERYONE**, but without further ado (even though I wish I could postpone it forever)..._

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**Ten years later**

"Mama! Mama Jermy won't stop throwing mud at me!"

"I am NOT! She's lying mom!"

I grinned as I listened from the porch where I was kneeling, fixing a loose beam of the porch railing. If need be, I'd step in, but right now I was content with Natasha handling things. They were running to her after all.

"Jeremy, Megan, what is going on?" her sweet voice floated up to where I was kneeling and I subconsciously glanced at her. Even after all these years, I still got the same chills down my spine when she spoke; still got goosebumps at her touch. If anything, it only grew stronger every day.

Natasha and I married the day after she turned nineteen. Her parents hadn't been too pleased with how young she was but we had been together for almost two years and I was too anxious to call her mine entirely to put it off any longer. Finally, after lots of bribing and begging, they agreed and the date was set.

She was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. I don't even remember anything of the wedding except the sight of her walking down the aisle toward me, her cheeks filled with blushing color and her eyes focused on me, and me only.

Right then my love grew tenfold.

The first year was rocky. Without her skating, Natasha had a hard time adjusting to everything. She had become used to its absence the first year after it happened but being married threw her out of her normal life and now the one thing she used to do when she needed comfort was no longer available.

So she began cooking.

She took over Emily's role as mother of the pack. Every meal, without fail, she had prepared and ready for us when we came in from patrol. Sometimes she went a little overboard but no one ever said anything. It was her way of coping and the few containers of leftovers in the fridge were the small price to pay. Besides, they only lasted a couple hours before someone finished them off anyway.

Natasha finished her homeschooling while she was still doing her physical therapy. We had a small celebration among the family and then the real dilemma came: Natasha didn't know where to go next. Her whole mindset had been on skating and she had never thought about what she would do if she didn't have it anymore. She didn't particularly want to go off to a college somewhere, but she didn't want to be a housewife either. She opted to take a few classes at a community college nearby so she could stay at home. She took basic classes in the hopes that something would stand out to her.

Five months into our marriage, I came home from evening patrol to find Natasha waiting for me in the living room.

"Baby what is it?" I asked as I nestled down next to her on the couch, pulling her into my lap. She looked at me with half joyful, half worried eyes. It scared the hell out of me.

"Um..." she said as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Natasha, what is it?" I asked more forcefully and she looked back up at me.

"I'm pregnant," she said quickly, so quickly it took me a minute to comprehend what she said. She took my pause for displeasure. "You're not happy," she stated as she stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Wha-? No! No Natasha this is great!" I finally was able to say as I jumped up and ran after her, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her. She looked up at me with a smile.

"You're really happy?" she asked and I nodded, grabbing her face gently in my hands and lowering my eyes until they were looking straight into hers.

"Of course I'm happy. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked and she shrugged.

"It's so soon, I don't know if we're ready or not," she said truthfully and I smiled, kissing her again.

"We have nine months. We'll make ourselves ready," I told her and she smiled, pulling me in for a hug.

In truth, I was just as worried as she was. Was I ready to be a dad? Up until now, I hadn't thought about it seriously. Now however, it was staring me straight in the face and I had no choice. Thoughts of my father made me even more nervous. What if I was just like him? Sure he was a bastard, but I had not questions about where I got my temper. What if my attitude toward my kid was the same too?

During the times when I started to get the nervous feeling and began to question my abilities as a father, I would just look over at Natasha and all worries would be gone. I had her and I knew we would be perfectly fine. Every time I mentioned my thoughts about my father, Natasha would shoot my worries down with a kiss.

"Paul Ballard, you are most definitely not your father," she would tell me with a sigh. "Just the fact that you worry about turning out like him shows that you're different. You won't be like him, I promise."

Deep down, I knew she was right.

Our son Jeremy Ivan Ballard was born on July 17 and Natasha went through hell to bring him into the world. I was such a nervous wreck, none of the guys wanted to even try to comfort me.

The first time I held that small bundle in my arms, I nearly melted right there. He had Natasha's nose and I knew he'd have her eyes as well. As for his hair, it was already looking like mine, dark and unkempt. He would be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

Natasha stopped classes so she could be a full-time mother. It wasn't her first choice but I know it helped her handle the problem of not knowing what she wanted to do with her life. She was such a determined person, she wanted to do more than sit at home, she just couldn't figure out what and it was killing keep her mind off of the future, she took to caring for Jeremy, being the overly perfect mother in every way possible.

Our second son, Kyle Yuri was born a year and a half later and it took all of Natasha's time and energy just to take care of the two boys. I tried to help while I could, but when I wasn't running patrol with the guys, I was working at the shop in town, fixing cars for a decent wage. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough income to keep us well. Besides, with the closeness of the Quileute community, we didn't need a ton of money to get by.

Jared and Kim became parents eight months after everything had happened. They had a little girl, Tiffany but they became parents for a second time around the time we did. They had another girl, Maria, and after Kyle was born, it wasn't odd to find Natasha and Kim in our yard, the three little kids on a blanket nearby, four-year-old Tiffany running around. Kim and Natasha loved talking about how cute it would be for Maria and Jeremy to end up together. Whenever this topic came up, Jared and I would just roll our eyes and look the other way.

Within the next year, patrols slowed down. The Cullens had left town, taking most vampire threats with them. Much to our dismay, Jacob followed them shortly after. We knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from his imprint, but it was odd knowing he wasn't a part of the pack anymore.

Embry settled with a girl who had moved to Forks a few months after Jacob left. We were all happy to see him imprint; we knew he had felt left out. The girl, Katy, was shy but nice. Natasha took her under her wing, helping her with the idea of a werewolf for a boyfriend, and in return Katy helped with the boys when Kim couldn't.

Leah drifted off, returning less and less frequently until one day she just never came back. She stayed in touch with Seth, letting him know where she was and what she was doing. It hurt him to have her gone, but we all understood why she did it. Without the imminent vampire threat, there was nothing worth putting up with Sam and Emily for.

Seth, Collin, and Brady took the loss of vampires harder than the rest of us. We were ready to get on with our lives while they wanted to stay wolves forever. Because of this, we let them run any patrols that were needed, making us have even less time in our wolf forms.

Despite how happy we were, Natasha was still restless. Often I would come home to find her flipping mindlessly through the channels on TV or agitatedly reorganizing the refrigerator shelves. I hated to see her like this because as much as she loved the kids and me, this just wasn't the life she saw for herself. It wasn't the life I saw for her either.

When Natasha was 23, she got a call from her old trainer, Andre. He was retiring after 30 years and was looking for a replacement. She said yes immediately and I couldn't have been happier. This was what she needed and this was what she had been waiting for. I think that if he had called any sooner, it wouldn't have worked, but as it happened, it was perfect. It had been six years since the accident and she was ready to go back to the ice. I was ready to see her back at the ice.

Although she couldn't skate, she was able to coach from the sidelines, training her new students to become the amazing skater she had been.

Chris was still at the rink, skating with his new partner Kelli. Over the years his anger at Natasha and me thawed. Although their friendship was never completely rekindled, Natasha and Chris talked, and she even invited him and Kelli over for dinner a couple times. The tension was still there, but I put up with it for Natasha's sake.

Megan Irena was born after Natasha and I had been married for five years. Both of the boys treated her with equal amounts of love and dislike. I think the idea of another girl around the house annoyed them, yet they were excited about a new baby.

Now that Natasha's sister was thirteen, we trusted her with babysitting the boys while Natasha and I were gone. Tyler went off to school at Ohio State University. We only saw him on holidays, but the boys loved him. He spoiled them rotten.

Natasha's parents took care of us like the perfect parents would. When Natasha came down with pneumonia shortly after Megan was born, her mother was right by her side, taking care of the kids while Natasha rested. I was thankful for that, because I don't know what I would have done without her mother's cool head. I was a bottle of nerves until Natasha was 100% better. She was my life, and I wanted her to be perfectly well.

So here we are, ten years later. Ten years since we met for the first time. Ten years since we fell in love. Ten years since I risked my life for her. And ten years since I knew we would be together forever.

"Jeremy please don't throw anymore mud at your sister. Megan, please don't be a tattletale," Natasha told both children before turning and walking back to the porch. I smiled as I glanced down at her already swelling stomach.

So much for just two kids.

"I swear, these kids are going to be the death of me," she said with a sigh as I stood up and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I walked her over to one of the porch rockers, pulling her down onto my lap and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Ew gross!" Kyle exclaimed as he walked out the screen door. Natasha and I laughed as I pulled her tighter to me.

"Just give it a few years, you won't think it's gross anymore," I told him and Natasha laughed harder. Kyle just shook his head and jogged down the steps, running in the direction of his siblings.

Natasha and I both sat there, watching the kids in silence. After a while, she turned and picked up my hammer.

"What were you doing?" she asked as she motioned to the hammer in her hands.

"Fixing the railing. The one beam was loose," I told her and she grinned.

"You mean you were fixing something without me asking?" she asked in mock shock. I rolled my eyes as I pulled the hammer out of her hands and gave her another kiss.

"Shut up," I mumbled against her lips and I felt her smile. When we broke apart she leaned back so her head was resting against my shoulder. We watched as Jeremy, Kyle and Megan started up a game of freeze tag.

"I love you," she whispered to me and I smiled.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing I love you too," I told her and she grinned before leaning in to meet my lips with her own.

Life was perfect.

* * *

_Well, there you go! :(_

_**A/N**- I have a favor to ask. Now that my story is over, I would love to hear what **EVERYONE** thought. I don't care if it's a one-word review that just says "awesome" or "great," I just want to see everyone's reactions now that it's over. Seriously, it takes 2 seconds to review. it took me FOUR MONTHS to write this. Isn't it the least I can ask for? Wouldn't it be awesome to get 100 reviews, JUST on the epilogue? Okay, I know that's **A LOT**, but I have 101 people who have this story favorited and 114 (I know there are overlaps) who get alerts when I update. Make me happy!!!!!! **Please**??????_

_**GreenEyes555**- Yeah, as soon as I think of a main idea, I'll hopefully start something. All the ideas churning in my head would have Paul as more of a minor character...but he'll still be in it! lol Thanks for all the reviews!_

_**sisicloud**- Hopefully this chapter helped with the Natasha/Chris relationship. Yeah, they aren't perfect, but at least it's a little better. I'm glad you liked the ending and thanks for reviewing!_

_**ParamoreDecoy**- If I think of an idea, I definitely will! Thanks for the review!_

_**twilightgal4life**- Does this answer your question lol? Thanks so much for all the reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_**Syler1510**- Yeah, I'm upset it's over too. Here's the epilogue! Thanks for all the reviews!_

_**CourageToStandAlone**- I know, I'm sad too. I'm glad you think I ended it perfectly. Hopefully you feel the same after the epilogue. And your review made me blush lol. Thanks so much for saying I'm a brilliant author. It's nice to hear that lol. Thanks for the support in my sequel/no sequel decision. I still don't know what I'm going to do but either way, I'm glad you'll like it haha. Thanks for all the reviews!!!_

_**honey**- Thanks so much for the reviews. And thanks for saying I'm good lol. I'm glad you really enjoyed my story. Sorry it's over haha_

_**laurazuleta18**- I know, I can't believe it's over either. I'm like, so sad haha. Hope you enjoyed the epilogue! Thanks for all your reviews!_

_**H20girl**- I'm glad you liked the ending. Hopefully you enjoyed the epilogue too. Thanks for the review!_

_**danie568**- I hope you liked what I did with Natasha since she can't skate. I know it doesn't completely help with her foot injury, but it's still a step in the right direction. Thanks for reviewing!!!_

_**eeyore-ft-tigger**- Yeah, I'm teary-eyed too haha. I was thinking of that idea actually, but I don't know what the whole plot would be, just the characters and where in the future it would take place. Thanks for all your awesome reviews! They seriously always made me happy lol. See you on the flip side!!!!!_

_**spannieren**- Yeah, I didn't want it to end either lol. I know the part with Chris was sad, hopefully his small part in the epilogue made up for it. Thanks for all your reviews!!_

_**Twilighter80**- Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad I wrote it and glad you found it too haha. I'm also glad you thought the end was wonderful. Thanks!!_

_**taybaybay**- Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad you liked my story. I have a few other stories up my sleeve so hopefully I'll finish another one and have the courage to put it up here. Thanks!!!_

_**random miss saranda clearwater**- I'm sad about the epilogue too :( I'm working on a couple other stories (not Twilight-related) but idk what I'm going to do with them yet. We'll just have to see. Thank you so much for all your reviews!!!!_

_Well that's it then I guess...Gosh, I'm so sad this is over. I like, don't want to post this right now...*sniff*... I mean, I AM posting it lol. It's just sad._


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